And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bob Monroe) writes:
FAIR-L
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and news reports
ACTION ALERT: NATO'S "ASTONISHING" RADIOACTIVE WEAPONS
On April 1st, ABC's Nightline did a segment that criticized the
one-sided coverage of the war--on Serbian TV. Reviewing supposedly
absurd claims, ABC aired what it described as "this astonishing claim"
from a Belgrade news account:
"They even use radioactive weapons...which are forbidden by the Geneva
Convention."
Astonishing, perhaps--but is it true? The fact is, the United States
is using radioactive weapons against Yugoslavia--and this threatens to
have health consequences in Kosovo for decades to come.
The weapons in question are anti-tank shells and bullets made of
depleted uranium (DU), a toxic, radioactive byproduct of nuclear
fission. Favored for their ability to destroy tanks, this ammunition
is carried by such U.S. forces as A-10 Warthogs and Apache
helicopters, both of which received substantial media attention when
introduced into the war.
Ironically, only the day before Nightline's broadcast (3/30/99), ABC
World News Tonight had reported the same "astonishing" news that
Serbian TV had: Describing the A-10, ABC's John Martin noted that "it
could pierce any armor by firing depleted uranium bullets at 3,900
rounds a minute."
But depleted uranium has received almost no sustained media attention.
One of the few reporters to discuss the substance, Kathleen Sullivan
of the San Francisco Examiner (4/1/99), reported that Pentagon
spokesman Kenneth Bacon refused to answer questions about its use by
A-10s, saying operational details were "verboten from this podium."
Nonetheless, the health risks posed by inhaling the dust from depleted
uranium, as well as the contamination of the physical environment,
have raised the concerns of numerous public health and veterans rights
groups.
The World Health Organization is still studying the high cancer rates
that plague southern Iraq, where much of the fighting during the Gulf
War took place. Likewise, DU's possible role in causing or
exacerbating Gulf War Syndrome is still a topic of fierce debate.
CBS's Mark Phillips recently presented in-depth reporting on the
possible health effects of DU in Iraq (12/1/98, 12/10/98). Since the
U.S. began using DU in Yugoslavia, however, no network has returned to
the subject.
***
ACTION: Please contact national and local media and urge them to
investigate the use of depleted uranium as a weapon in Yugoslavia.
During the Gulf War, activists raised questions about the potential
consequences of DU, but these issues were not explored until
inexplicable illnesses began showing up in U.S. veterans and Iraqi
children. This pattern should not be repeated in Kosovo.
ABC-- Nightline
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
CBS News
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
For more media contacts, go to
http://www.fair.org/media-contact-list.html
For more on the current war in Yugoslavia, go to
http://www.fair.org/international/yugoslavia.html
----------
Feel free to respond to FAIR ( [EMAIL PROTECTED] ). We can't reply to
everything, but we will look at each message. We especially appreciate
documented example of media bias or censorship. All messages to the
'FAIR-L' list will be forwarded to the editor of the list.
Also, please send copies of email correspondence, including any
responses, to us at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] .
Feel free to spread this message around. Put it on conferences
where it is appropriate. We depend on word of mouth to get our message
out, so please let others know about FAIR and this mailing list.
Don't miss a single email from FAIR-L.
To subscribe to FAIR-L send a "subscribe FAIR-L enter your full name"
command to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The subscriber list is kept confidential, so no need to worry about
spammers.
You may leave the list at any time by sending a "SIGNOFF FAIR-L"
command to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Please support FAIR by becoming a member.
You will receive FAIR's magazine, EXTRA! and its newsletter, EXTRA!
Update. You can become a member by calling 1-800-847-3993 from 9 to
5 Eastern Time (be sure to tell them you got the information
on-line) or by sending $19 with your name and address to:
FAIR/EXTRA! Subscription Service
P.O. Box 170
Congers, NY 10920-9930
FAIR
(212) 633-6700
http://www.fair.org/
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
list administrators: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
