Press Action ::: Hating America on Fox: An Open Letter to John Gibson

Sunday, November 28, 2004

Hating America on Fox: An Open Letter to John Gibson

By Rosemarie Jackowski

Dear Mr. Gibson:

The Fox News program of November 27, Hating America, which tried to explain why so many around the world hate the United States, failed to really answer that question. With all due respect, I need to remind you of the history of U.S. foreign policy...especially since WW2. The list of countries that we have bombed since then is too long to list here. They hate us because we bomb them. We exploit their natural resources. We terrorize them. We invade and occupy them. We trample on international law. We have an executive order that allows assassinations. We allow our xenophobic tendencies to disrespect their cultures.

We misuse the UN Security Council and use it as a tool against less powerful countries. We are the only nation to have ever used nuclear weapons against other people. We invade our neighbors. We have WMD’s. We use cluster bombs, which have killed many children. We violently attempt to spread Radical Galloping Capitalism to countries, which prefer other more humanitarian systems. We fail to recognize the sovereignty of other nations. We have used napalm. We still use depleted uranium. We operate a training center to create terrorists at Fort Benning. We are a racist nation.

We have military bases in more than 100 countries around the world. How about doing an investigative report on how the U.S. got its base at Diego Garcia? That is one of the most under-reported news stories of the century. Imagine what most U.S. citizens would think, if they had that information.

I thank you for doing the program. It is a good start. Just recognizing the fact that so many around the world hate the U.S. is an achievement for Fox. This program should be Part One of a series that would take a serious look at U.S. foreign policy. Those who live in the U.S. should not be denied the information that so many in other countries have. If U.S. citizens became as well informed as those around the world, we too, would find that the policies of this government are not acceptable.

What is the reason that the media fails to accurately inform viewers? Maybe the reason is that there are too many newsreaders for the government, and virtually no real investigative journalists who are given any air time.

You, and others at Fox News, have an opportunity to become more than just newsreaders for the Pentagon. Just one good investigative journalist would make a big difference. Most of the information is already available. I suggest starting with the books by William Blum, former member of the U.S. State Department. I also suggest that you invite Mr. Blum for an on-air interview. Is there anyone at Fox who would be willing to engage someone, who is as knowledgeable and well informed as he is, in debate?

Again, I thank you for the program and end with a few suggestions. I request that in future news broadcasts you report the number of Iraqi civilians who have been killed. Also, I question your use of the word insurgents. Those who are fighting in defense of their homeland can hardly be referred to as insurgents. Please show the photographs of the children who have been killed by U.S. cluster bombs. Those photos should not be censored out of the U.S. media. To censor those photos is neither fair nor balanced.

Rosemarie Jackowski is an advocacy journalist living in Vermont. She can be reached at dissent@sover.net.

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