wfn.org | Anti-immigrant hate speech targeted in campaign

["Lesley Crosson" <lcrosson@churchworldservice.org>]

CWS, faith community say 'turn off media violence'
Media Violence Fast focuses on anti-immigrant hate speech

NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2009-- Does violence in the media, particularly hate
speech against immigrants, impact levels of actual violence?

That’s the question that a diverse coalition of faith groups,
including Church World Service, are asking this week as part of the 2009
Media Violence Fast, a movement now in its third year that signs up
thousands of people from across the nation to consciously abstain from
violence on television and radio, at least for one week.  Join at
www.MediaViolenceFast.org

This year’s seven-day emphasis, October 19-26, is on asking
interfaith participants to consider the impact of anti-immigrant hate
speech in the media.

Church World Service is one of nine national voluntary agencies that
work with the federal government and a nationwide network of local
agencies to resettle refugees across the United States.  Erol Kekic, who
directs the agency's Immigration and Refugee Program, points out the
danger in anti-immigrant messages.

"Anti-immigrant hate messages delivered widely via media contribute to
a climate of fear, discrimination and scapegoating.  Hate speech
implicitly or explicitly gives listeners permission to attack immigrants
-- or anyone else who looks or talks 'differently' -- verbally and
physically."

Says the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, executive director of the United Church
of Christ’s Office of Communication, Inc., "We are asking people  to
seek other forms of programming and intellectual stimulation, and to
reflect on what it means to purposefully distance oneself from violence
as entertainment, especially hate speech against immigrants that is
being billed as unbiased, ‘fair and balanced’ news,��

The anti-violence fast is sponsored by the So We Might See Coalition, a
diverse interfaith group formed earlier this year with support from the
U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, the Islamic Society of North
America, United Methodist Communications, United Church of Christ,
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
and several other faith groups.

During the week, participants will be signing a petition to the Federal
Communications Commission asking that it open a notice of inquiry into
hate speech in the media.

The coalition is also urging the National Telecommunications and
Information Agency (NTIA) to update its 1993 report, The Role of
Telecommunications in Hate Crimes.

“We are concerned about this issue because of the possible  connection
between hate speech and violent hate crimes and the lack of information
for members of the public concerned about the issue,” said Guess,  who
is helping to staff the work of the Coalition.

Cheryl A. Leanza, a media attorney who serves as policy director with
the United Church of Christ’s Office of Communications, Inc.,
emphasizes that the coalition does not support censorship, but is
advocating a study by the federal government to track the impact of
anti-immigrant speech on physical violence.

The coalition is expressing particular concern about the frequency and
tone of anti-immigrant remarks made by several TV and radio
commentators, such as Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage and Lou
Dobbs.

“Hate speech in the media is a growing problem that must be  examined
before it can be solved,” Leanza said. “The possible  correlation
between hate speech and violence crime gives us great pause. Immigrant,
minority, and religious populations are often targets of hate speech
before they are subsequently the target of physical hate crimes.”

Adds Kekic of Church World Service, "Hate speech also impedes informed
public discourse around what is needed to fix the United States' broken
immigration system.  Democracy requires truth -- not ratings-driven lies
and hysteria -- to function."

According to the most recent FBI hate crimes statistics, while h
ate
crimes against all other groups has been holding steady or attenuating,
hate crimes against Hispanics have been increasing over the last four
years.

The So We Might See Coalition’s decision to focus its third-annual
fast on anti-immigrant hate speech comes in support of the Latinos
Against Hate Speech campaign, organized by the National Hispanic Media
Coalition.

Learn more at www.MediaViolenceFast.org or www.SoWeMightSee.org

Church World Service Media Contact

Lesley Crosson, (212) 870-2676, media@churchworldservice.org Jan Dragin, (781) 925-1526, jdragin@gis.net

>Church World Service
>475 Riverside Drive
>New York, New York 10115

NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2009-- Does violence in the media, particularly hate
speech against immigrants, impact levels of actual violence?

That’s the question that a diverse coalition of faith groups,
including Church World Service, are asking this week as part of the 2009
Media Violence Fast, a movement now in its third year that signs up
thousands of people from across the nation to consciously abstain from
violence on television and radio, at least for one week.  Join at
www.MediaViolenceFast.org

This year’s seven-day emphasis, October 19-26, is on asking
interfaith participants to consider the impact of anti-immigrant hate
speech in the media.

Church World Service is one of nine national voluntary agencies that
work with the federal government and a nationwide network of local
agencies to resettle refugees across the United States.  Erol Kekic, who
directs the agency's Immigration and Refugee Program, points out the
danger in anti-immigrant messages.

"Anti-immigrant hate messages delivered widely via media contribute to
a climate of fear, discrimination and scapegoating.  Hate speech
implicitly or explicitly gives listeners permission to attack immigrants
-- or anyone else who looks or talks 'differently' -- verbally and
physically."

Says the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, executive director of the United Church
of Christ’s Office of Communication, Inc., "We are asking people  to
seek other forms of programming and intellectual stimulation, and to
reflect on what it means to purposefully distance oneself from violence
as entertainment, especially hate speech against immigrants that is
being billed as unbiased, ‘fair and balanced’ news,��

The anti-violence fast is sponsored by the So We Might See Coalition, a
diverse interfaith group formed earlier this year with support from the
U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, the Islamic Society of North
America, United Methodist Communications, United Church of Christ,
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
and several other faith groups.

During the week, participants will be signing a petition to the Federal
Communications Commission asking that it open a notice of inquiry into
hate speech in the media.

The coalition is also urging the National Telecommunications and
Information Agency (NTIA) to update its 1993 report, The Role of
Telecommunications in Hate Crimes.

“We are concerned about this issue because of the possible  connection
between hate speech and violent hate crimes and the lack of information
for members of the public concerned about the issue,” said Guess,  who
is helping to staff the work of the Coalition.

Cheryl A. Leanza, a media attorney who serves as policy director with
the United Church of Christ’s Office of Communications, Inc.,
emphasizes that the coalition does not support censorship, but is
advocating a study by the federal government to track the impact of
anti-immigrant speech on physical violence.

The coalition is expressing particular concern about the frequency and
tone of anti-immigrant remarks made by several TV and radio
commentators, such as Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage and Lou
Dobbs.

“Hate speech in the media is a growing problem that must be  examined
before it can be solved,” Leanza said. “The possible  correlation
between hate speech and violence
 crime gives us great pause. Immigrant,
minority, and religious populations are often targets of hate speech
before they are subsequently the target of physical hate crimes.”

Adds Kekic of Church World Service, "Hate speech also impedes informed
public discourse around what is needed to fix the United States' broken
immigration system.  Democracy requires truth -- not ratings-driven lies
and hysteria -- to function."

According to the most recent FBI hate crimes statistics, while hate
crimes against all other groups has been holding steady or attenuating,
hate crimes against Hispanics have been increasing over the last four
years.

The So We Might See Coalition’s decision to focus its third-annual
fast on anti-immigrant hate speech comes in support of the Latinos
Against Hate Speech campaign, organized by the National Hispanic Media
Coalition.

Learn more at www.MediaViolenceFast.org or www.SoWeMightSee.org

Church World Service Media Contact

Lesley Crosson, (212) 870-2676, media@churchworldservice.org Jan Dragin, (781) 925-1526, jdragin@gis.net

>Church World Service
>475 Riverside Drive
>New York, New York 10115