DEAR FELLOW JOURNALIST; Report the War Fairly, an organization created by a small group of American journalists based in Moscow, Russia who are opposed to improper coverage of the war in Serbia, has taken note of your excellent reporting on the bombing, and is asking for your help. We're undertaking a campaign to put pressure on journalists who have been overly jingoistic and deceptive in their coverage of the war, in doing so misinforming the public and contributing to the decline in the reputation of the profession. Specifically, we're asking all Western journalists who are covering the war to sign a statement that reads as follows: 1. I am a journalist, not a propagandist. 2. I will not allow myself to be the reporter of record on any story that relies exclusively on government sources. The object of this petition is to commit as many reporters as possible to avoidance of the practice-particularly common in wire-service reports-of relying only on NATO sources when covering a particular war-related story. The names of those journalists who refuse to sign will be published here in Russia, on the internet, and in as many outlets in the West as can be found. This may sound like an excessively confrontational tactic, but it seems to us that enough is at stake in this disastrous war to make it necessary for everyone to stand up and be counted. We believe that the representatives of a free press should regard their governments' actions with a healthy skepticism, and should seek to instill the same instinct in their readers. If you agree, please send a message to your fellow journalists by adding your name to our petition. To respond and receive a copy of the list, write to exile.taibbi at matrix.ru Please respond as soon as possible, and also circulate this e-mail to any and all of your colleagues in journalism who you think might be interested in signing. In any case, thank you for your time, and keep up the good work. Sincerely, Matt Taibbi and Mark Ames Editors-in-Chief The "eXile" Moscow, Russia Members, Report the War Fairly
___________________________________________________________ ARE YOU A FREELANCE WRITER? Then you should be a member of the NATIONAL WRITERS UNION! The only labor union committed to improving the economic and working conditions of all freelance writers. For more information visit our web site <http://www.nwu.org>, call (212) 254-0279, or email <nwu at nwu.org>.