The BBC advert for the CPUSA
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A bit of free advertising by the BBC
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26126325
And just how reluctant they are to even publicise an organisation like our own.
Perhaps we should once again protest in a letter to their selective choice of reporting.
This is a general open plea but please no more amateur 'disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' poison-pen letters to the Beeb. I thought we learned our lesson with Stephanie Flanders. That was why they were reluctant to engage with our organisation.The CPUSA feature is a profile in the BBC magazine section, not an advert. The CPUSA are not even popular on the left let alone broader American society and I don't think this profile will change that.
It won't in America because i doubt it will have much of an audience there. I shoud have done advert as in "advert" because of course i knew it was not an advertisement. But i do treat it as free publicity for the CPUSA, despite its slight negativity, and they will most definitely be pleased themselves at this for gratis promotional item.The similarities are not the same with Flanders…a genuine report on Marx and this indulgence by one of the BBC,s American correspondents. The SLP and SP of America should really be the ones offended. I won't be using their complaints procedure, having done so in the past and realise it is pretty facile to do so but i certainly will not discourage others who want to point out the imbalance in reporting.I have now come to hate the F**king BBC, btw.
"please no more amateur 'disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' poison-pen letters to the Beeb"Care to elaborate on your use of the highlighted word? Are there any "amateur" socialists on this list who cannot respond individually to anything in the media they notice and object to.tsk tsk
Nobody can force members not to respond, but we try to elect to committees those most able to specialise in public relations of the party. At conference this year, one branch proposed a carefully planned Media strategy. Part of this would necessitate the use of those elected to committees to produce any responses to media items such as this.We made complaints to the BBC in 2012, then in 2013 they featured Marx and invited Alan Woods (IMT) on rather than us.If members want to let off some steam, then by all means do it on twitter. Twitter is for sounding off and stirring up heated discussion.
So we have elected "amateurs" on a committee to respond.No problem with that but a few queries on procedures.How do members know that the committee is aware of a news item?i know there is an email address to use to let them know and suggest they take action but what is it? Otherwise, how involved are they in surveying the newspapers and websites? Working on the blog i know it is very time-consuming and i barely touch all the possible sources but I think the other bloggers would agree , that it is a necessary daily chore.I certainly acknowledge and credit the Media Comm. with a very comprehensive contact list for press releases. i was very pleasantly surprised by its scope…so a lot of kudos for that. I missed the conference and so far the minutes are unavailable. I also missed the pre-conference motion description , sorry. How does the committee decide on if action is to be taken?How quick are they in responding before a hot news item becomes cold ?How does the members know action has been taken? We have also had a situation where two members , myself and a now ex-member submitted conficting letters under but not in the name of the party to a journal. I treat such incidences as unavoidable as on some issues, members will disagree. Come to think about it , it happened another time but that was my fault in not properly reading the letter i was replying to but the editors helpfully edited it on request so it never contradicted another member who was also in correspondence. i have occasionally suggested that we make a complaints or issue a protest in the name of the party, the last being about the new rules on prisoners books, and if my memory serves me correctly, i raised the matter ahead of the several authors who subsequently protested. Our complaint would be different , of course and in addition to theirs. I never ever heard if this was ever done. Other organisations have some sort of media alert they use, particularly when a multiple response is desired rather than just a solitary complaint from a committee, sometimes with a suggested text (to be slightlly varied and amended).
As a member of the Media Committee I would like to add a few points. All committee members are 'amateurs' in that the work done is carried out as best as can be by individuals in their spare time, often with no experience or training, and, depending on their circumstances, working full-time and spending time with their families. Personally, I work full-time and have a young family; therefore, there is no way that I can spend time monitoring the media. Perhaps I should not have taken on the role? Or, perhaps those members with the time and ability can provide the Media Committee with text for issue to the media. As an 'amateur' and relative newcomer to socialism, I would not feel confident drafting original responses to the media. I think the role of the Media Committee should be to build and maintain a media contact list, to issue media releases in an appropriate format, and to direct responses to media releases to experienced party members. The departments and committees terms of reference state that one of the roles of the Media Committee is, "To issue press releases to the media as requested by other committees". I understand this to mean that other committees would provide text for a media release that can then be issued to the media through the contacts list maintained by the Media Committee. The Media Strategy expanded on this by suggesting that the Media Committee maintain a 'duty roster' of media speakers willing and able to respond to media enquiries. Does anyone have any other ideas about the role of the Media Committee? Perhaps this topic should have its own thread?Bob.
Bob,You and John have got off to a great start as members of the Media Committee, considering you're both fairly new to the Party. Keep up the good work and don't be hesitant in asking other comrades for advice and assistance.Dave C.
jondwhite wrote:This is a general open plea but please no more amateur 'disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' poison-pen letters to the Beeb. I thought we learned our lesson with Stephanie Flanders. That was why they were reluctant to engage with our organisation.Well, I wrote to the BBC about the program and received a reply Don't see anything wrong with my letter or the reply I received.
This is from another thread which perhaps you or other members may have missed on Left Unity. I think it makes some observations which may be of a help the committee's work. http://www.theleftvote.org.uk/?p=666i agree with Gnome and have no wish to discourage any party member who volunteers his time and enery for prty work. As i said your list of media contacts is impressive. I do hope it is broken down into themes so the appropriate journalist/editor gets the relevant info. It sems that there is a question point over an issue i raised in my post when you say you have no confidence in yourself in responding from your own initiative and instead se your role as postman, delivering the message. I'm suspect that other committees are not up to it to show a lead either, sadly. Perhaps the most effective is the Election Committees who should be CC-ing every statement/coverage to you for you to also release to the other press. More liason between you and they , if it does not exist , would be desirable.Another issue is just what should be done within the party to mediate communication between it and the media committee. A simple section on this list may indeed suffice. MEDIA ALERT, or something like that. What do others think?Or we could revamp the other SPGB webpage which presently only re-posts letters published by members.And as a sign of its under-use and neglect – even i have not got the link to it or visit it – so it is in need of a dusting off for members to begin to use.
I use this and moreover, have tried to encourage others to do so. I would encourage members to post ideas for letters or longer articles. At the same time, look at the party blogsite and tell other members "your" ideas on articles on the blog site. If we all, as members, visited this site every day, at our earliest convenience, we could share, in quick time, ideas for "press releases" and letters. Get some of our ideas into the press for a change!
Another reason for me to hate the BBC James Cook, Scotland Correspondent, of BBC News, said it had been a member of the CBI since at least 1980. and that means 3/4 a million quid to an employers' lobby group…unbiased, impartial, balanced reporting …
alanjjohnstone wrote:what was the letter and what was the answer, Vin?I posted it on the forums. It is here somewhere on spintcom. https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/spopen/conversations/messages/15313
Vin Maratty wrote:alanjjohnstone wrote:what was the letter and what was the answer, Vin?I posted it on the forums.
Is this the one?http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/forum/general-discussion/masters-money-response-bbc
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