Steve
----- Original Message ----- From: Brown, Aaron (NY-TBS) To: 'steve philion ' Sent: Friday, February 14, 2003 11:27 PM Subject: RE: Antiwar mv't reports
First, thanks for the note. Second and really I mean this respectfully, you are wrong. Let's just take a look, a fair look if you will at the program I put on the air tonight. I can't imagine it could have possibly been a fairer and harder look at the American position on the war than what we presented. While I don't have the scripts in front of me, I'm back at the hotel now, the openning pages clearly noted what a diffcult day it was for the administration. One specific question I recall, one to Ken Polluk went some thing like this; for the administration how do they put lipstick on a pig. We laid out the day, a difficult day for the administration by any objective standard in a way that no viewer could come away with a different impression.
On the specifics of the anti war movement you are also wrong. As the Managing Editor of the program I commissioned not one but two pieces and a guest dealing with just that. And while you may want to quibble about numbers, which in my experience in these things is rarely better than guesses.. each side using numbers that reflect their own bias, we put two long looks at the issue and then booked Ron Kovic. Now it is not my place or my desire to give any guest a free ride and I wish Ron had been a little less polemical and a little more direct, the interview itself gave the a good, clear and thoughtful voice to the anti-war movement. I know Ron agreed. We talked afterwards.
I understand the times we live in. I understand people sit by their computers waiting to "attack" at every moment. But to charge that I or the program showed some bias to the anti war movement today or ever is stunning. I also understand passion and I respect it. But your note is unfair to me and to the program and to the people who work very hard each day to make it better than anything the odd little world of cable has to offer. I don't expect an apology. That too is a reflection of the times. But I deserve one.
Again thanks for writing. I take notes seriously and answer many. I don't roll over. I hope you appreciate that as well.
Aaron
-----Original Message----- From: steve philion To: Aaron.brown at turner.com Sent: 2/14/2003 11:18 PM Subject: Re: Antiwar mv't reports
Mr. Brown, Your bias against the anti-war movement is too obvious. You state that present anti-war movement is smaller than the one that mobilized against Gulf War 1, which, according to your reporter had 10's of thousands of protestors. I refer you to the police report from the San Francisco protest in January:
"Police estimates of 55,000 demonstrators came from a counting of people in Civic Center Plaza and did not include marchers who were backed up along Market Street, said Jim Deignan, San Francisco police spokesman. "
"Aerial photographs show a packed plaza and masses stacked back along streets leading in. If Civic Center Plaza were filled and Market Street were lined all the way to Justin Herman Plaza, a 200,000 estimate could be accurate, said Deignan. "
""I think it was between 50,000 and 100,000," he said, but later said that 150,000 could be a safe estimate. "
Also, from the Washington Post and the NYT, not exactly left wing propaganda sources, we know that in November there were over 100K who showed up according to DC Police Chief Ramsey.
I notice that in tonight's CNN webpage article on the Melbourne protest your headline states that "10's of thousands protest" and according to Melbourne police over 150 K showed up.
Can't you be a little less blatant in your underestmations of the anti-war movement?
Stephen Philion
Minneapolis, MN