We'd like to invite you to join our Rapid Response Team--so that the media can hear the perspective of The TIKKUN COMMUNITY on contemporary issues.

You can do one or both of the following, every day or as many times a week or a month as you can spare the time (once every two weeks would be fine, once a week even better, and daily would be more than we can reasonably hope--but if you have the time, we need the help):

1. WRITING THE CRITIQUE

a. Find a news story, news analysis, editorial, op-ed, columnist, magazine article, or t.v. or radio news story. Pick any story or editorial that misrepresents or distorts contemporary reality. We are most focused on the way that the media distorts the situation in the Middle East, but we are equally open to media distortions about globalized capital, environment, social justice, civil liberties, human rights, Spirit, God, religion, the American Jewish community, the 1960s, social change movements, racism, homophobia, sexism, or any of the other issues dealt with in TIKKUN.

b. Download the story into an email which you can send to us at Ashreynu@aol.com. If you can't download it, please type in a copy. When we post your critique, it needs to be connected to a specific piece that others can read, so that they know what you are talking about.

c. If what you are critiquing is a segment on a t.v. news or radio report, then you need to write a summary of what you saw with as much detail as possible, and then write your critique.

d. Write your critique in one of the following formats: as a letter to the editor (or in the case of t.v. and radio, the station manager); or as a critique that could be stated quickly by someone calling the editor or station manager. Other people are going to use your critique as the basis for their phone calls, so please be precise in your language, make sure that someone else could easily understand your specific points about what is distorted in the account or analysis that you are analyzing, and how it would have been written had it been done in a less distorted way.

e. Send this two part message to Ashreynu@aol.com We will review it, and either edit it to fit our sense of what will work and post it on this website in the section below called Recent Media Distortions

2. CALLING THE MEDIA

a. After you've read the Media Critique, we need you to take action. Please call the writer of the article, the news editor, the assignment desk editor, the publisher, or others at the publication or media and insist that they speak to you about the distortions in their media. Be strong and polite and act as though you have a right, as does the rest of the public, to have honest reporting and reasonablly accurate editorials and columns in your local or even national media.

b. You may only reach a voice recording. Do not underestimate the importance of a strong critical message left in a coherent and polite but strong way on the recording machine. "I am john Smith of Chicao and I'm calling to complain aboutt the article by X in today's ........ I think it is offensive or distorted in the following three ways: a. ........b. ..........c. .My phone number is ..............and I'd like you to call me back and explain what you are going to do to rectify this." or something of the sort can be communicated to the answering machine.

c. You may reach the person. Say who you are quickly and state your critique quickly but forcefully. Understand that that person doesn't want to hear your complaints, but that you need to communicate them. so be prepared to speak quickly. Do not be disrespectful, but do not be apologetic that you've called--even if they have something else on their agenda. You want them to stop distorting the news and start representing perspectives like those that can be found in Tikkun and in the TIKKUN COMMUNITY. You want to tell them that there are people who should be contacted to get a different perspective, and even to give them a few names (some of which are listed on the bottom of this section).

d. Don't be afraid to be passionate, agitated, even angry.

e. Don't be disappointed if the person you are speaking to doesn't agree with you and doesn't seem to be paying attention. There are some media people who will respond to the logic of your argument, so be prepared. But often the impact of your call is not in the content of what you say, but in the emotional tone. Reporters and editors often often often (yes, 3 oftens) get phone calls from right-wingers who are pressuring them to "not be so liberal," to be tougher in presenting right-wing views, and to not quote people with a progressive perspective, with a peace perspective, with a Tikkunish perspective, etc. For example, over the years the rightwing of the Jewish world has convinced hundreds of people to call editors and reporters on a regular basis, and to let them know that they are going to be facing anger and outrage should they represent the views of those who are critical of israeli policy. The cumulative impact of these calls is to communicate to the reporters and editors that they will have an easier time if they go along with the perspective of the Right. Often this has nothing to do with the content of the argument--but only with the hassle factor. Unconsciously, editors and reporters come to feel that they don't want to have to face the anger and upset of a given constituency, and so they begin to be more sensitive to that constituency's concerns. So your call may be more important for having conveyed the message that there are people out there who are for peace and justice and for a world based on love and compassion and generosity than for any particular point you make. It is your willingness to monitor the media and criticize them and insist on being taken seriously that will have the biggest impact.

f. DON"T WORRY ABOUT MAKING MISTAKES. You really can't screw this up. For all the reasons stated in e. above, you will do fine as long as you leave a message or tell the person that you are upset about story X by writer Y and that you want to let them know why. Even if you think you are not being articulate enough, the truth is that it is the very fact of your call that is important.

g. So, you can go directly to the Recent Media Distortions section and pick some of the media criticisms you wish to make, and then go to our Media List to find the name and phones or addresses of people you can contact. The Media List is presented alphabetically by name of the media in question, so go through to find media you wish to contact In some cases, our names will no longer be current, so call the media and ask them for the right person to speak to.

h. Please feel free to provide your own criticisms. The media critique may give you some good ideas, but only say those ideas which you personally believe in. We trust your judgment and your intellect, and feel certain that if you keep makinig these calls on a regular basis you will have an important impact. Get your friends to join you in doing this.

i. Feel free to make many different calls on the same day.

j. It can be even more impactful if you send a follow up letter.

k. Faxes are usually ignored--they go straight to the wastepaper basket plus they use up paper and trees. Best approach: call directly or mail a letter.

Media Critique Background

Much of contemporary media has a passivizing and conservatizing impact on the public. Although some of that is built into the very form of the technology (creating passive recipients of information from television, with no time for reflection or feedback), some part is connected to the actual content being conveyed. The media tends to:

• Cynicism about the possibility of fundamental change
• Cynicism about spiritual or psychological understanding of social reality
• Defining as "serious political candidates or movements" only those which have already achieved power and have at their disposal vast financial resources
• Defining out of "serious political discourse" anything which challenges corporate power or the right of elites of wealth and power to shape our economic and political lives
• A crude materialist reductionism which assumes as ULTIMATE TRUTH that people are only motivated by narrow self-interest, and hence seeking to debunk idealism, spiritual vision, or ethical commitment.

We hope to challenge all these aspects of the media.

We also seek to have the media present perspectives that it systematically (and sometimes simply unconsciously) ignores. There are many many decent and intelligent people working in the media who, though they have bought the dominant perspective, would actually be quite surprised to think of themselves as framing issues or making choices of who to quote based on their internalized ideology. Many consider themselves "value free" professionals. For that reason, it is possible to talk to many media people, and on occasion to break through their defensiveness and find that they are willing to present other perspectives which "never occurred to them" to actually be there or to be worthy of attention.

That's where our RAPID RESPONSE TEAM comes in. The tasks of this team is to contact media and other public-opinion shapers and let them know:

• The TIKKUN COMMUNITY perspective on contemporary political, social and cultural issues
• People who can be quoted who represent those perspectives
• The existence of a whole different way of understanding the world, alluded to in the Core Vision of the Tikkun community and specified in greater detail in Michael Lerner's book Spirit Matters: Global Healing and the Wisdom of the Soul and Peter Gabel's The Bank Teller and Other Essays on the Politics of Meaning.
• The ways in which what they have already written or presented on television or radio have given a narrow or distorted picture of reality.

This kind of work is already being done by the political Right--and very effectively. While corporate ownership and control of media is the major factor influencing the way the world is presented to us in the media, a second and still very important factor is the way that journalists and other opinion shapers find themselves systematically besieged by the political Right and its powerful organizations. Journalists find that when their stories give representation to mildly liberal or progressive perspectives that their editors are besieged by calls complaining about media bias. Over time, the mildly liberal perspectives are defined as "ultra-left," so that the journalists don't even dare quote perspectives that are even more unconventional than tepid liberalism. This has increased the appeal for many journalists of "a pack consciousness"--they tell the stories and frame the issues the same way as everyone else does, so that they can refer to the others in the pack and their coverage of issues as self-defense against critics or editors asking "why" they are covering the story in the way that they do.

Would you join our Rapid Response Team? If so, tell us by emailing: RabbiLerner@tikkun.org and put Rapid Response in the area of the address marked " Subject:" and include your home address and phone numbers.

Here is what we'd want you to do:

1. We will send you press releases, op-eds, and other information. You can then contact your own local t.v. and newspapers--and ask them to cover our positions.
2. You will create a file of people in the media to whom you have spoken--so that you can reconnect with them again to present our perspective.
3. You may wish to meet with local media people and opinion-shapers: and present them with some of the underlying world view of The Tikkun Community. Such education can have a very positive impact.
4. Monitor local media--and when you come across stories that show clear cynicism, materialism, or other distortions, contact the reporter or journalist involved. Or contact the editors of the paper, the publisher, or the owners--and vigorously complain. Don't be defensive (as though the perspective of the powerful has the only legitimate claim on public attention). We have as much right to ask that media present our perspective as the corporations do to ask that their perspective be presented (only difference is money, not legitimacy).
   
   For example: most stories dealing with Israel tend to quote only those in the Jewish world who are knee-jerk defenders of whatever government happens to be in power at the time. So, you will find numerous stories in the media about Israel, but few present the perspective of the peace movement. When you find such a story, confront the author or his/her editor--and insist that this is not acceptable. Insist that in the future they quote the perspective of the TIKKUN Community and our allies in the Israeli peace movement. The same holds true for almost every aspect of Jewish life. Thus, for example, the mainstream media ran a story the week before our conference in January 2002 whose major point was that previously liberal Jewish organizations were backing Attorney General Ashcroft's current assault on civil liberties, to the distress of civil liberties organizations which traditionally received much political support from the liberal Jewish world. Now that story was only possible because the author and the various newspapers that reprinted it did not know about or care to pay attention to The Tikkun Community and the wide support our perspectives have among liberal and progressive Jews. The reporters and editors should have been besieged by calls of complaint. Not that that would lead to any immediate retraction. But over the course of time, if reporters and editors begin to expect a volume of complaints of this sort, they will in fact be more likely to think about whether their story is really balanced, and hence more likely to call people connected with the Tikkun Community (in that case, we'd recommend speaking to Michael Ratner who spoke at the Tikkun Conference).
   
   Or you will find stories that repeat some of the standard cynicism or materialism or anti-spiritual understandings of the world. You can then call the reporter and relevant editors to educate them.
   
   Do not underestimate the cumulative impact of a group of people constantly monitoring and calling the media. Even though the reporters you reach will be clearly disinterested and try to get you off the phone as quickly as possible, over time your calls will make a difference!!!
   
   In addition to phone calls, write letters to the editor in which you challenge specific instances of bias or distortion or ideological assumptions. Don't just send it to the Letters to the Editor. Send it also to the executive editor, the publisher, and to other reporters at the newspaper or radio or t.v. station. Let them know that they are being carefully monitored, and that you are spreading your critiques to others in your community!!!
   
   If you wish for help in constructing your letters, let us know. Similarly, if you have special talent at doing this, you should also be part of the Rapid Response Team--and volunteer your expertise to help other members of the team construct letters and op-eds.
   
   
5. You can make any time commitment that works for you. If you are willing to dedicate an hour once a month, that's great. Even better if you are willing to give one 3 hour period each week, or half an hour 3 days a week (possibly during your lunch break). Whatever works for you is fine.
6. Don't think you can only contact local media. It's just as important to leave messages or write to the national media. A message on their phone machine also has an impact--so it's important to prepare what you'll say if you only get the machine. Don't spend much time introducing yourself--the main point is to say why you are calling, what you are criticizing, and who they can call to get the Tikkun Community perspective.
7. The one thing we ask from you is that you let us know who you've spoken to, their phone number and emails, so that we can share that information with others who may be wishing to work on this project as well.

Here is the kind of information we will be distributing to members of our Rapid Response Team, once we have your email and indication you want to be part of it.

Who Should Media Be Quoting on Israel and other Jewish related issues?

Call editorial page editors and ask them to give the following people a regular column (or, in the case of NPR, ask them to make the following people regular commentators). Here are some names they could be quoting:

1. Rabbi Michael Lerner. Email: RabbiLerner@tikkun.org. Phone: 415-575-1200
2. Israeli Peace Activist Uri Avnery. Email: uravnery@netvision.net.il
3. Managing Editor of Tikkun: Deb Kory 415 575 1200
4. Cherie Brown. Email: Ncbiinc@aol.com. Phone: 202-785-9400
5. Marisa Handler and Liat Weingart, Tikkun Community Organizers, 415 575 1200
6. Professor Tanya Reinhart. Email: reinhart@post.tau.ac.il
7. Professor of Poli Sci Jerome Slater. Email: jnslater@acsu.buffalo.edu
8. Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb. Email: reblynn@swcp.com
9. Professor of Poli Sci at Ben Gurion University David Newman. Email: newman@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
10. Professor of Philosophy at Tel Aviv University Adi Ophir. Email: adiophir@post.tau.ac.il
11. Professor Rebecca Stein. Email: rlstein@sscl.berkeley.edu
12. Allan Solomonow. Email: asolomonow@afsc.org
13. Rabbi Brian Walt. Email: brianwalt1@aol.com
14. Ella Shohat. Email: eshohat@gc.cuny.edu

WHO SHOULD YOU BE CALLING--when you wish a TIKKUN perspective to be given attention?

1. The New York Times
   National Desk (for stories about "American politics and why they should be representing the view of an Emancipatory Spirituality or Politics of Meaning," "American Jewish response to Middle East developments" or "American Jewish leaders are saying X about Z" but where they only quote Establishment leaders):
   Katie Roberts 212 556 7356 or Jim Roberts 212 556 7356 or Laurie Goodstein 212 556 1854
   Also, contact Bob Herbert 212-556 1952 (a columnist there) and Thomas Friedman (202-862-0300) also a columnist
   If they persist in ignoring the peace voices, complain to the publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. 212 556 3588
2. Washington Post
   Op-ed editor: Fred Hiatt 202 334 7281
   Foreign Affairs:
   Jim Hoagland 202 334 6899
   Karen de Young 202 334 7468
   National News:
   Jackson Diehl 202 334 7467
   Maralee Schwartz 202 334 6082
   Editorial writer: Amy Schwartz 202 334 5138
3. San Francisco Chronicle
   Managing Editor: Jerry Roberts 415 777 7124
   Op Ed Editoror Lois Kazakoff 415 777 6054
   Columnist: Jon Carroll 415 777 6249
   National Editor: Jim Brewer 414 777 7103
   Editorial Page Editor: John Diaz 777 7018
   
4. LA Times
   Executive Editor: Leo Wolinsky 213 237 3243
   Managing Editor Dean Baquet 213 237 5100
   National Editor: 214 237 7091
   Foreign Policy Writer: Norman Kempster 202-861 9227
   Editorial Page Editor: Janety Clayton 213 237 7931
5. <>Associated Press
   Managing Editor Michael Silverman and National News Editor Ann Levin are both at 212 621 1500
   Religion writer (and sympathetic, but needs to be reminded): Julia Lieblich 212 621 1659
   News Features: Bruce De Silva 212 621 1830
   
6. Knight Ridder/Chicago Tribune News Service
   Editor: Jane Scholz 202 383 6085
   
7. Newhouse News Service
   National News Linda Fibich 202 383 7850
   Values Reporter: Mark O'Keefe 202 383 7857
   
8. Religion News Service
   Adelle Banks 202 383 7863
9. Slate
   David Plotz 202 862 4889

Electronic Media

1. NPR
   Daniel Schorr 202 414 2271
   Senior Foreign Editor: Loren Jenkins 202 414 2298
   Foreign Affairs Correspondent Tom Gejlten 202 414 2288
   Political Editor Ken Rudin 202 414 2250
   Religion: Lynn Neary 202 414 2196
   National Editor: David Sweeney 202 414 221
2. ALL THINGS CONSIDERED
   Host: Robert Siegel 414 2110
   Decision Maker: Ellen Weiss, 202 414 2110
3. TALK OF THE NATION
   Executive Producer: Greg Allen 202 414 2713
4. MORNING EDTIION
   Bob Edwards 202 4154 2350