Anita & Colleagues,
  This is the result of the President's Advisory
  Council that was formed last year. This is something
  Carole Pardun wanted to do and spoke on during the
  business meeting last August in Baltimore. While the
  statement does not necessarily offend me, I find the
  choice of topic for the release dubious at best. I
  can think of lots of equally or more demanding
  issues on which AEJMC could have taken a position: I
  may be mistaken but this is the first stance for the
  committee. If it is the first, it has failed
  miserably in my opinion. If not, I'd like to see any
  previous statementsBut why not:
  1. Fox news as abandoning the practice of journalism
  in favor of right-wing advocacy?
  2. A statement on the hypocrisy of the tea parties?
  3. The Arizona immigration law
  4. The ongoing lying and hypocrisy of the Republican
  members of Congress (and some Democrats too)?
  5. Heck, there is a proposed bill in Michigan that
  would bar journalists from covering certain politics
  events without taking some sort of test or obtaining
  a "license"--a true slap at First Amendment rights
  of journalists. (I've just brought this to the
  attention of the PF&R Committee)?
  6. Did I mention the Arizona immigration law?
  7. Sarah Palin--when has she held a press
  conference?
  8. That Rand Paul guy in Kentucky and his position
  on civil rights?
  9. BP (and its response) and the oil spill in the
  gulf? Or was this penned two months ago?

  My last question is, what do we say/do in response
  to this? Can committees within AEJMC respond to its
  own leadership or issue its own position statements?
  I don't know who is on this so-called presidential
  advisory committee, but there statement does not
  represent my concern or perspective and I am
  approaching outrage when I think about all of the
  more central issues that were ignored over this
  false outrage over Presicent Obama's lack of
  pressers.
  Dwight

Dwight E. Brooks, Ph.D.
Professor and Director
School of Journalism
College of Mass Communication
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Tel: 615 494-8925
e-mail: [log in to unmask]