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DENVER-AREA STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS RALLY FOR RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM AT KDVR FOX-TV
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2005
CONTACT: Allegra Scarano, Mickol Heck, or Terry Topping, 720.366.9388
Denver: After a postponement earlier this month due to bad weather, the Students for Responsible Journalism rallied Saturday on the steps on Fox's local affiliate, KDVR-TV.
About forty Denver students and residents called on the on the US Congress to reinstate the FCC Fairness Doctrine, which had previously regulated mass media outlets with an eye towards preserving equal coverage of differing points of view. Several students addressed the crowd with a bullhorn while others greeted Speer Boulevard traffic.
"This is great," said student Terry Topping. "We've got people of all ages out here, and they're all intelligent and responsible." No unlawful behavior or even any police activity was observed.
One older man energetically yelled at passing cars to "read the memo! The D-o-w-n-i-n-g S-t-r-e-e-t M-e-m-o!"
The Fox News Channel, "America's #1 News Network," has blurred the line between news and commentary to the point where a clear bias has emerged, and that bias has in turn impacted the ability of Americans to make informed decisions about their leadership and national policies.
"KDVR wanted to direct us to some office building where they do the Fox News Channel shoots from Denver, but we figured that the giant building on Speer with the 'Fox' logo on the side and covered with satellite dishes would make a better photo-op," said student Mickol Heck. "Seems to me Rupert Murdoch would approve of us wagging that dog."
Local Fox affiliate KDVR was challenged to adequately cover national and world events in addition to the ponderous local news (complete with twenty minutes of weather) broadcast today. Many low-income residents have no access to cable or satellite television, and are disadvantaged by the scant attention KDVR and other local stations pay to national news.
Students for Responsible Journalism also enjoyed getting to know a number of other media activists who attended today's rally, and look forward to collaborating with them in the future to advocate to credible, objective news reporting "without fear or favor."
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Students for Responsible Journalism is a nonpartisan student group formed to demand journalistic integrity from today's corporate media.
For more information, quotes or sources, please call Mickol Heck, Allegra Scarano, or Terry Topping at 720.366.9388.
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