ABC Good Morning America hires racist commentator

ABC TV, one of the most popular and usually fairest news operations in America, has announced plans to hire racist CNN Talk Show Host Glenn Beck as a commentator ont he flagship morning news program Good Mornign America.

Beck is a bigot and a racist whose shows are often filled with inaccurate information about Arabs and Muslims, and who uses hate as a means of building audience.

Here is a release from ADC on Glenn Beck's racism and suggested strategy to respond to the hiring of a bigot:

ADC Action Alert:
Urge ABC to Reconsider Hiring Glen BeckWashington, DC January 19, 2007

ABC's "Good Morning America" recently announced that Glenn Beck has been hired as a regular commentator on its program. Many of you might be aware of Beck from his CNN Headline News show or his talk-radio show, where he has consistently fueled his commentary with vitriol and falsehoods toward Arabs and Muslims.Calling his CNN Headline News show the "Fusion of Entertainment and Enlightenment," Beck has distinguished himself, not for cutting edge or insightful news, but by his almost obsessive hateful rhetoric attacking and vilifying the Arab and Muslim communities in the US. While this type of vitriol pervades talk radio, CNN Headline News has given Beck his own nightly television show, airing nightly at 7pm and replaying at 9pm and 12am EST on CNN's Headline Prime, and now he will be offering commentary for ABC's Good Morning America.Beck refers to himself, not as a journalist, but as a conservative with his own bias (comments he made on his special, "Exposed: The Extremist Agenda").

With his television and radio shows, website, Beck offers you his own biased version of just about everything.Beck has suggested that Arab and Muslim Americans are apathetic to terrorism and that if they do not take action they will be "looking through a razor wire fence at the West." You can read just a few of the blatantly prejudice statements he's made on the show at the bottom of this alert.The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the Arab American Institute (AAI), and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) sent a letter to ABC News and Good Morning America requesting that they reconsider Beck's hiring. To view the letter, see:

http://adc.org/Doc/Joint%
20Letter%20to%20Beck.doc

HOW YOU CAN HELP ABC News responded to our letter, which is promising, but we need your help in order to encourage positive action on the part of ABC News regarding this matter. See the ABC News response at:

http://adc.org/PDF/ABC%20Glenn
%20Beck%20Reply%20Letter.pdf

ADC, AAI, and MPAC are asking supporters to call and email ABC News and voice their concerns about "Good Morning America's" decision to hire Glenn Beck. Included below is a sample email and contact information to call the show.

BECK IN HIS OWN WORDS* On August 10 and September 5, 2006, Beck stated that Arab and Muslim Americans are apathetic to terrorism—completely ignoring the positive contributions of the community, especially in regard to national security—and warned that Muslims "who have sat on [their] hands the whole time rather than 'lining up to shoot the bad Muslims in the head' will face dire consequences. One of those consequences being that Muslims will be "looking through a razor wire fence at the West."* On November 14, 2006, Beck interviewed then Congressman-elect Keith Ellison and asked him to "prove to me that you are not working with our enemies" simply because of Ellison's religious affiliation.* On November 15, 2006, Beck said he was surprised by an American criticizing Al Qaeda because "the man who wrote it is a Muslim."

CALL ABC NEWSPhone calls are an extremely effective tool for action. Take just a few minutes to call the ABC switchboard in New York at (212) 456-7777 and urge ABC to reconsider.

When you call ABC News, be sure to mention the following points:*If you are a GMA viewer, let them know.* Politely but firmly convey your concern that adding Beck to the GMA staff would weaken the show's journalistic integrity and jeopardize its reputation as a fair and objective news program.* State that by giving Beck such a prominent platform to spread dishonest and hurtful statements, ABC is perpetuating fear of Arab and Muslim communities and is inciting hatred toward Arab and Muslim Americans. See sample of his comments above.* Ask ABC News to reconsider its hiring of Beck.EMAIL ABC NEWSIf you are able, please supplement your emails with a phone call to ABC's switchboard. You can use the points listed above to write an email, or feel free to send the following:netaudr@abc.comdavid.westin@abc.com

SAMPLE EMAIL LETTERDear Mr. Westin and Good Morning America Staff,As an ABC News viewer, I am concerned by your recent decision to hire Glenn Beck.Glenn Beck has used his radio and television shows to spread false and hurtful statements about the Arab and Muslim American communities, and his dangerous language helps perpetuate fear and prejudice towards us. In light of his previous comments and on air rhetoric, I worry that he will use Good Morning America to spread this rhetoric to an even broader audience.I am also concerned that that his addition to Good Morning America will weaken the show's journalistic integrity and jeopardize its reputation as a fair and objective news program. Beck himself says he is not a journalist, calling himself, "a conservative with his own bias."I urge for you to reconsider your hiring of Glenn Beck. Thank you for your consideration.

-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee www.adc.org1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW Washington, DC 20007Tel: 202-244-2990 Fax: 202-244-7968 E-mail: media@adc.org
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