I am writing to ask for more media coverage of the genocide occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan. At least a quarter of a million people have been murdered; over two million people have been displaced from their homes; villages have been burned; thousands of women have been raped. Yet six men who die in a mine receive ongoing media coverage for weeks, when hundreds are dying daily - lives we have the resources to save. Are their lives too insignificant to receive 30 seconds on the 6 o’clock news or a 2” x 6” article in the newspaper? If I drove into the next town and murdered one individual based on the color of their skin I would probably headline Channel 5 News for a week; yet a nation killing men, women, children, fathers, sisters, brothers, mothers, because of their ethnic background, does not warrant media coverage.
Even more disturbing than the lack of media coverage is the lack of public outrage at such atrocities. We have evolved into a nation more knowledgeable about the underwear deficit of a celebrity than the national deficit of our country. We need to show concern for someone other than ourselves. The front page of CNN.com gives no mention of Darfur although it has multiple articles posted about the Emmy’s. MSN.com has photos of OJ Simpson, the Emmy awards, and a plethora of articles on everything from finance to football, yet it offers no links to the genocide in Darfur. FOXnews.com has no mention of the increasing death toll or rising number of displaced refugees; it does, however, dedicate several lines to the ongoing custody battle of a has-been music starlet.
We cannot effect change unless we have an awareness of the problem. That leaves the lives of those still living in our hands. What can we do? According to the Committee on Conscience (http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/) created by the Presidential Commission, there are five things that we can do to fight genocide. The first is to educate ourselves about genocide. Information is available at the Committee on Conscience website; if you are fortunate enough to be in Washington D.C. the Holocaust Memorial has an entire library dedicated to Darfur as well as other regions of the world where genocide has taken lives. Second, write to the media and ask for an increase in their coverage of Darfur. This includes radio, newspaper, and television. Third, contact your leaders in government, both local and national; let your elected officials know that you expect them to take action against the violence in Darfur. Fourth, make Darfur a topic of conversation; many of my friends and family believed that genocide ended with WWII. Use your voice and educate others about the importance of ending genocide. And fifth, help sustain groups and individuals who are working towards ending genocide.
We can denounce genocide with words.
Even more disturbing than the lack of media coverage is the lack of public outrage at such atrocities. We have evolved into a nation more knowledgeable about the underwear deficit of a celebrity than the national deficit of our country. We need to show concern for someone other than ourselves. The front page of CNN.com gives no mention of Darfur although it has multiple articles posted about the Emmy’s. MSN.com has photos of OJ Simpson, the Emmy awards, and a plethora of articles on everything from finance to football, yet it offers no links to the genocide in Darfur. FOXnews.com has no mention of the increasing death toll or rising number of displaced refugees; it does, however, dedicate several lines to the ongoing custody battle of a has-been music starlet.
We cannot effect change unless we have an awareness of the problem. That leaves the lives of those still living in our hands. What can we do? According to the Committee on Conscience (http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/) created by the Presidential Commission, there are five things that we can do to fight genocide. The first is to educate ourselves about genocide. Information is available at the Committee on Conscience website; if you are fortunate enough to be in Washington D.C. the Holocaust Memorial has an entire library dedicated to Darfur as well as other regions of the world where genocide has taken lives. Second, write to the media and ask for an increase in their coverage of Darfur. This includes radio, newspaper, and television. Third, contact your leaders in government, both local and national; let your elected officials know that you expect them to take action against the violence in Darfur. Fourth, make Darfur a topic of conversation; many of my friends and family believed that genocide ended with WWII. Use your voice and educate others about the importance of ending genocide. And fifth, help sustain groups and individuals who are working towards ending genocide.
We can denounce genocide with words.
We cannot save lives without action.
Megan Van Pelt
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