Media Leaders Too Busy to Accept Congressman Rush's Invitation to Capitol Hill

Statement From the Women's Coalition for Dignity and Diversity in the Media

on Planned Hearings Before House Committee on Energy and Commerce

    WASHINGTON, July 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Women's Coalition
 for Dignity and Diversity, a broad coalition of women's and advocacy
 groups, expressed regret that the hearing on diversity and dignity planned
 for July 11th before the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection
 Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee has been postponed
 until September. Congressman Bobby Rush has been instrumental in organizing
 the hearing that fell through as industry representatives and artists could
 not fit the Congressman's invitation into their schedules.
     According to Dr. E. Faye Williams, Chair of the National Congress of
 Black Women, her predecessor, the late Dr. C. DeLores Tucker, focused
 national attention on the issue of the entertainment industry's apparent
 acceptance of denigrating women nearly 15 years ago. "The issue continues
 to confront us. Women still feel very strongly that the messages in some
 programming have a corrosive effect on the dignity and self-worth of young
 women. We regret, therefore, the postponement of this crucial hearing."
     The Dignity and Diversity Coalition appealed to the Subcommittee
 because it has jurisdiction over interstate and foreign telecommunications
 including, but not limited to all telecommunication and information
 transmission by broadcast, radio, wire, microwave, satellite, or other
 modes, and homeland security-related aspects of the foregoing, including
 cybersecurity.
     Lisa Fager, President and Co-Founder of Industry Ears, a media think
 tank in Washington, D.C., explains, "Broadcasters use public airwaves, so
 by law their first priority must be to serve in the best interest of the
 public; unfortunately, in the age of consolidation this requirement has not
 been enforced."
     The Women's Coalition has a broad strategic vision that encompasses
 legislation, negotiation, public awareness, monitoring of media and
 entertainment programming, diverse female representation at all levels,
 advertiser awareness, and economic pressure. The group believes that there
 is no one pure solution -- fairness in the media is a shared societal
 responsibility. It also aims to increase the volume of public input into
 the decisions about media content.
     "We were really looking forward to hearing what the media executives
 and artists had to say, and believe that this issue is an American problem
 that we all need to come together to address," said Melanie Campbell,
 Executive Director and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic
 Participation, who has been serving as ad hoc convener of the group.
     To date, the Women's Coalition has met with the CEOs of Black
 Entertainment Television (BET) and MTV Networks, but not their parent
 company, Viacom. Meetings are either scheduled or in the works with top
 executives at NBC Universal, ABC and CBS. The Coalition's early efforts
 have garnered measured success: CBS Radio pulled a list of several dozen
 offensive songs from the airwaves. MTV is considering a women's advisory
 council. BET has agreed to continuing dialogue. ABC has broadened the list
 of persons,
     particularly women of color commentators, considered for its Sunday
 morning show, This Week with George Stephanopolous.
     "While we are encouraged by the steps that some media outlets have
 taken, we have a long way to go to create the kind of media atmosphere
 where women are respected as truly equal human beings," said Kim Gandy,
 President of the National Organization for Women (NOW). "We look forward to
 the rescheduling of this important hearing, with full participation from
 the industry responsible for the degrading portrayals of women and the lack
 of diversity across the media spectrum."
     The Women's Coalition for Dignity and Diversity in the Media formed in
 April 2007 in the wake of "Imus-gate" and is a multicultural, multi-
 generational group that represents over 250 organizations with more than 11
 million members. The group wants to increase public awareness regarding the
 way women, especially women of color are portrayed in media. They also aim
 to increase the representation of women as commentators, editors, and
 writers in the nation's news departments.
 
 

SOURCE The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation