February 11, 2000
Dr. Mary Frances Berry Chair of Pacifica Board c/o U.S. Civil Rights Commission 624 9th St NW Ste 700 Washington, DC 20001-5303
Dear Pacifica Chair Mary Frances Berry:
We write to voice our support for the striking freelance journalists and contributors of Pacifica Network News.
We understand these reporters are fighting a wave of censorship at Pacifica, which threatens to undermine the editorial independence of each station’s news division, as well as each station’s programming. The striking journalists wish to protect the free speech principles on which Pacifica was founded.
The right of every media institution to provide news and information free of censorship is fundamental. We urge you to publicly renounce censorship at Pacifica in all forms, and to honor the strikers’ demands.
Sincerely, Amy B. Dean Executive Officer South Bay Labor Council
cc: Pacifica National Board Members Forrest Nixon, President, San José Federation of Teachers Local 957, CFT, AFT, AFL-CIO pnnstrikers at igc.org