PBS Acknowledges Armenian Genocide

[Gavur]

Teaching genocide

Thursday December 29 2005



Last week, members of the Armenian Assembly of America filed to intervene in a lawsuit brought earlier this year by the Assembly of Turkish American Associations against the state’s Department of Education for teaching in its history curriculum “one side” on the Armenian genocide in Turkey in 1915.
Lawyers for the Turkish group have argued that teaching both sides is a matter of academic freedom and freedom of speech.
These are specious arguments.
We in the Jewish community should be especially concerned with attempts to deny accounts of historical atrocities that are well documented.
Historians estimate that more than 1.5 million Armenians in Turkey were killed in 1915 as part of a genocidal campaign, recognition of which has long been championed by Holocaust survivor and Boston University professor Elie Wiesel.
Under pressure from the European Union and international historians, the Turkish government has been urged to reconsider its official account of the episode: that there never was a systematic campaign to kill Armenians, and the deaths that occurred were the result of inter-ethnic strife, disease and famine during the turmoil of World War I.
Teaching about genocide is vital to preventing its reoccurrence. The Armenian genocide deserves a place alongside the Holocaust and other historical atrocities in the curriculums of our students.
The lawsuit by the Assembly of Turkish American Associations threatens to open the door to revisionist historians. Our community has a special stake in making sure that denial of genocide is not given a voice in our public schools. Any genocide – whether it be the Holocaust, Darfur or the Armenian genocide – deserves to be recorded and taught, not only for the memory of all the victims who suffered, but for our children’s future. Only through education and remembrance can we even attempt to stem the tide of hatred and violence.
© 2006 The Jewish Advocate. All rights reserved

[1.5 million]

Gavur - I hope you don't mind that I repost this somewhere else...it fits in an argument I am making (in Wikipedia) where Genocide denialists are wishing for equal time in presenting their "position"...

[Gavur]

World Media Reports Outrage Of 10,000 Viewers Against PBS

Commentary


By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

The controversy over the planned airing by PBS of an offensive panel
discussion on the Armenian Genocide has become a major national and
international issue. Here are the key developments of the past few days:
-- The Washington Post published on Feb. 16, a lengthy article titled:
"PBS Panel on Armenian Genocide Stirs Protest." The article reported that
more than 6,000 people (as of Feb. 16) had signed an online petition
demanding the cancellation of the panel discussion, "making it one of the
largest organized protests of a PBS program." Subsequently, the Los Angeles
Times and several other newspapers reprinted the Washington Post article.
-- The AFP (French Press Agency) wire service carried on Feb. 17 a major
story titled: "Armenian-Americans Outraged by Panel Discussion on
Genocide."
--The Broadcasting & Cable magazine published on Feb. 16 an article
titled: "PBS Gets Complaints about Genocide Panel." It stated that, as of
last week, PBS had received 163 e-mails complaining about the panel
discussion.
-- The Turkish newspaper Milliyet covered the PBS controversy in its Feb.
17 issue.
-- The Armenian National Committee of America issued a press release on
Feb. 15 calling on PBS to cancel the panel discussion and "not to provide
national television platform for Armenian Genocide deniers." In addition,
in a letter addressed to Jacoba Atlas, Senior Vice President of PBS
Programming, the ANCA requested a meeting with her to discuss the Armenian
community's concerns.
-- The online petition urging PBS to cancel the panel discussion, which
was established on Feb. 9, has now been signed by well over 10,000 people!
-- The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), a coalition of
more than 60 Turkish organizations, issued its own copycat petition,
mimicking the Armenian one. It claims to have more than 8,000 names, a
large percentage of which are fake! Even Elvis is listed as having signed
the Turkish petition!
-- Professors Taner Akcam and Peter Balakian, who participated in the
pre-taped panel discussion supporting the facts of the Armenian Genocide,
wrote lengthy reports last week explaining that they were basically
blackmailed by Jacoba Atlas who told them that without the panel
discussion, PBS would not air the Armenian Genocide documentary. Saying
that he was "backed into a corner" by PBS, Balakian urged viewers to ask
the PBS stations "not to run the post-show."
-- Lea Sloan, the Vice President of Media Relations at PBS, provided in
writing on Feb. 17 the following official reaction to my two previous
columns: "PBS, like most historians, news organizations and world courts,
accepts that the genocide took place. That is why we scheduled the
documentary to air and that is what the film's title asserts. The intent of
the panel is to explore the question of how historians can come to such
divergent conclusions about these events."
In a similar reaction, the Washington Post quoted Jacoba Atlas as saying,
"while we believe [the genocide] is settled history ... you still get
dissenters .... This remains a contentious piece of history. There are just
questions around it." Both Sloan and Atlas are contradicting themselves by
first saying that the Armenian Genocide is recognized by "most historians,
news organizations and world courts," and that it is "settled history," and
then turning around and calling it "a contentious piece of history." This
makes no sense, whatsoever!
Given the fact that PBS is still planning to go ahead and air this
offensive panel discussion, I suggest the following immediate steps:
Please sign the online petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_pe...d.cgi?pbspanel and forward it
to as many people as possible. More than 10,000 people have already signed
it.
Send e-mails to Jacoba Atlas at [email protected] urging her not to provide
air time to genocide deniers.
Ask Armenian organizations to urge their members to sign the petition and
send e-mails to Jacoba Atlas.
Ask your Member of Congress to send a letter to PBS demanding that the
panel discussion be cancelled.
Ask the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues (close to 150 members of
Congress) to send a collective statement to PBS opposing its planned airing
of the panel discussion.
Since the individual PBS stations are the ones that decide whether to air
the panel discussion or not, contact your local PBS station and urge them
not to broadcast the post-show. To find your local PBS station, go to
www.pbs.org/stationfinder, enter your zip code and click next. When you see
the logo of your local station, click next again. This would give you the
phone/fax numbers as well as mail and e-mail addresses of your local
station.

[Gavur]

Almost 11.000 now I think we can do 50k
lets tell about the drive to everybody we know!

[Reincarnated Am]

11680 Votes, nice.... very nic!

[Gavur]

KCET Not to Air "The Armenian Genocide" Documentary

Armenian News Network / Groong
February 23, 2006

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA


As the controversy unfolds over the decision by PBS to air a panel
discussion which gives Armenian Genocide deniers equal air time
immediately after it airs Andrew Goldberg's new documentary "The
Armenian Genocide" on April 17 2006, over 11,000 people have now
petitioned PBS to cancel the offensive panel discussion.

Since individual PBS stations ultimately choose the programs which
they wish to air, we contacted KCET to inquire if they planned to
broadcast the panel discussion after the documentary in Los
Angeles. We discovered that KCET is not planning to broadcast the new
documentary at all. "Although we will not be airing Andrew Goldberg's
"Armenian Genocide," we have aired Mr. Goldberg's documentaries in the
past and will certainly consider others in the future" wrote the KCET
web correspondent.

"In January we began to explore programming that would be appropriate
to air in this special time period. We are always proactive about
searching out unique series and specials that reflect the interests of
our diverse audiences and that pay tribute to important heritage
celebrations" wrote the web correspondent.

KCET will be airing two Armenian-related documentaries in April 2006.
Hagop Goudsouzian's "My Son Shall Be Armenian" (2004) and Laurence
Jourdan's "Le Géenocide Arménien" (2005). The latter's broadcast will
be its American television premiere.

Asked why KCET would not be airing Andrew Goldberg's documentary, the
web correspondent replied "we feel that the programs we have chosen
are of the highest quality and offer both Armenian and non-Armenian
viewers thoughtful and compelling stories about this important culture
and its history."

Contacted in New York, Emmy award winning director Andrew Goldberg
wrote "I was saddened to hear KCET was not running our PBS show, "The
Armenian Genocide". But in my experience, schedules at stations are
often changed to accommodate varying circumstances and I am hopeful
they will reconsider."

The production of two documentaries in two languages in 2005 about the
Armenian Genocide is a clear indication of rising international
interest in exposing the circumstances of this tragedy to wide
audiences and putting an end to denial and historical revision. There
is no reason for KCET, operating in the largest American Armenian
market in the U.S., not to broadcast both brand new documentaries
about the Armenian Genocide to an audience which has seen neither. We
recommend that readers contact KCET and urge the station to add the
Two Cats production of Andrew Goldberg's documentary "The Armenian
Genocide" to its April broadcast schedule.

KCET's contact information is at: http://www.kcet.org/about/contactus.php

Viewer/Online Services:
email: [email protected]
tel: (323) 953-5238

Program Information:
tel: (323) 953-5238
Live assistance available Mon-Fri
9am-5pm
Recorded information 24/7

KCET Program Submissions
email: [email protected]

[maral_m79]

Now .... 12308 Total Signatures

[Gavur]

System Of A Down Mobilizes Fans Against Pbs

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.anca.org

PRESS RELEASE
February 23, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

SYSTEM OF A DOWN MOBILIZES FANS AGAINST PBS
BROADCAST FEATURING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIERS

-- Visit www.systemofadown.com to Send a Free ANCA WebFax to PBS

WASHINGTON, DC - Grammy Award-winning band System of a Down has reached
out to hundreds of thousands of its fans by posting on its website an
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) action alert calling on
the Public Broadcasting Service to back away from plans to broadcast a
panel discussion this April featuring known deniers of the Armenian
Genocide.

The band, known for its worldwide genocide prevention efforts, has been
at the forefront of the effort to end U.S. complicity in the Turkish
government's campaign to deny the Armenian Genocide. System has
pressed aggressively for the adoption of Armenian Genocide resolutions
before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, including through
a personal visit last September to the Batavia, Illinois district
office of Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. To view the System
link, visit:
www.systemofadown.com and click on "News."

The action alert comes in response to the recent PBS announcement that
it plans to broadcast a panel discussion, including known Armenian
Genocide deniers Justin McCarthy and Omer Turan, following the airing
this April of the documentary "The Armenian Genocide," produced by
Andrew Goldberg. The ANCA has formally protested PBS's decision, and
established an online WebFax program through which thousands of
individuals have already registered their protests. Additionally, over
12,000 protests have been sent to PBS through an online petition set up
by Armenian Tidorts:

http://www.petitiononline.com/pbspanel/petition.html

The lead authors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution before the U.S.
House of Representatives, Adam Schiff (D-CA) and George Radanovich (R-
CA), and Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank
Pallone (D-NJ), have urged their colleagues to join with them in
signing a Congressional letter expressing opposition to PBS's plans to
provide a platform to deniers of the Armenian Genocide. The growing
controversy over PBS's actions has been covered by the Washington Post,
the Los Angeles Times, and the New York Times.

[Gavur]

Rep. Schiff Leads Congressional Opposition To Pbs

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.anca.org

PRESS RELEASE
February 23, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

REP. SCHIFF LEADS CONGRESSIONAL OPPOSITION TO PBS
PROVIDING A PLATFORM FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIERS

-- Reps. Radanovich, Pallone, and Knollenberg Join Effort
to Enlist the Support of their U.S. House Colleagues

WASHINGTON, DC - The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
today welcomed the initiative by the lead authors of the U.S. House
Armenian Genocide Resolution, George Radanovich (R-CA) and Adam
Schiff (D-CA), and Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Joe Knollenberg (R-
MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), to collect Congressional signatures
on a letter expressing opposition to the Public Broadcasting
Service's (PBS) plans to provide a platform to deniers of the
Armenian Genocide.

Amid tremendous controversy, PBS recently announced plans to
broadcast a panel discussion including known Armenian Genocide
deniers Justin McCarthy and Omer Turan following the airing this
April of the documentary "The Armenian Genocide," produced by
Andrew Goldberg. The ANCA has formally protested PBS's decision,
and established an online WebFax program through which thousands of
individuals have already registered their protests. Additionally,
over 12,000 protests have been sent to PBS through an online
petition set up by Armenian Tidorts:

http://www.petitiononline.com/pbspanel/petition.html

The Glendale News Press today highlighted the ANCA's leadership on
this issue, and reported that, "Rep. Adam Schiff, who represents
Glendale and Burbank, is eliciting the support of other members of
Congress to come out in opposition. He was one of four Congressman
to send out a message Wednesday asking counterparts to sign a
letter, which they plan to send to PBS voicing concerns over the
piece. 'Despite the Turkish government's concerted and well-
financed effort to obscure and alter history, there is no serious
academic dispute about the Armenian Genocide,' the Congressmen's
letter to PBS reads. 'We urge you to stand by PBS' commitment to
public service and not give voice to those who would deny the
deliberate murder of 1.5 million people.'"

The Washington Post reported on February 16th that, "Thousands of
Armenian Americans are protesting the Public Broadcasting Service's
planned panel-discussion program about Turkey's role in the deaths
of Armenians during and after World War I. The 25-minute program
has generated an outcry because the panel will include two scholars
who deny that 1.5 million Armenian civilians were killed in eastern
Turkey from 1915 to 1920."

"We welcome the leadership of Representatives Schiff, Radanovich,
Pallone, and Knollenberg in expressing Congressional opposition to
PBS's decision to provide public airtime to deniers of the Armenian
Genocide," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We look
forward to helping to generate bipartisan support for this letter
and to pursuing other avenues to impress upon PBS that it should
not become complicit in the Turkish government's campaign to deny
this crime against humanity."

In a letter sent this week to their House colleagues, the four
legislators sought support for a strong Congressional message
urging PBS not to put its "imprimatur on those who deny the murder
of 1.5 million people." Noting that, "unfortunately, PBS has
included on the panel two professors who deny the Armenian
Genocide," the four Congressman noted that, "their opinions run
counter to the vast majority of academicians who have examined the
events of 1915-23 and are no more credible than the assertions of
those who deny the Holocaust."

The Congressional letter, addressed to PBS's Acting President and
Chief Operating Officer, Wayne Godwin, specifically asks that, "PBS
not provide a national platform to those who deny the Armenian
Genocide... Despite the Turkish government's concerted and well-
financed effort to obscure and alter history, there is no serious
academic dispute about the Armenian Genocide." The letter closes
by noting that, "Surely, PBS would not consider broadcasting a
documentary on the Holocaust, followed by a panel that included
Holocaust deniers. A commitment to balance does not mandate the
inclusion of opinions that are objectively false."

Members of Congress interested in cosigning the letter can contact
Legislative Director Tim Bergreen in Rep. Schiff's office at (202)
225-4176.

#####

Text of Congressional Dear Colleague letter

Dear Colleague:

On April 17, PBS will be broadcasting a new documentary on the
Armenian Genocide. The documentary, by filmmaker Andrew Goldberg,
is scheduled to be followed by a panel discussion that PBS has
prepared in house.

Unfortunately, PBS has included on the panel two professors who
deny the Armenian Genocide. Their opinions run counter to the vast
majority of academicians who have examined the events of 1915-23
and are no more credible than the assertions of those who deny the
Holocaust.

While we support a thorough airing of opinions about the Armenian
Genocide, the documentary already includes denialist views to
present a comprehensive perspective. It is therefore completely
unnecessary to include these discredited opinions in an additional
panel. Doing so only promotes the propagation of false and
misleading views and undermines the credibility of PBS.

We have prepared a letter to Wayne Godwin, PBS's Acting President
and Chief Operating Officer and ask that you join us in asking him
to re-tape or eliminate the panel altogether so as not to put PBS's
imprimatur on those who deny the murder of 1.5 million people.

To sign the letter, please contact Timothy Bergreen in Rep. Adam
Schiff's office at 5-4176 or [email protected].

Sincerely,

[signed]
Adam B. Schiff
Member of Congress

[signed]
Frank Pallone
Member of Congress

[signed]
George Radanovich
Member of Congress

[signed]
Joe Knollenberg
Member of Congress

Text of Congressional letter to PBS

Mr. Wayne Godwin
Acting President and Chief Operating Officer
Public Broadcasting Service
1320 Braddock Place
Alexandria, VA 22314

Dear. Mr. Godwin:

We are writing to ask that PBS not provide a national platform to
those who deny the Armenian Genocide. While we look forward to
PBS' broadcast of Andrew Goldberg's documentary, The Armenian
Genocide, on April 17th, we are disturbed by reports that PBS will
follow the documentary with a panel discussion that will include
two professors who deny the Armenian Genocide.

Despite the Turkish government's concerted and well-financed effort
to obscure and alter history, there is no serious academic dispute
about the Armenian Genocide. Thousands of pages of documents sit
in our National Archives. Newspapers were replete with stories
about the murder of Armenians. "Appeal to Turkey to Stop
Massacres" headlined the New York Times on April 28, 1915, just as
the killing began. On October 7 of that year, the Times reported
that 800,000 Armenians had "been slain in cold blood in Asia
Minor." In mid-December of 1915, the Times spoke of a "Million
Armenians Killed or in Exile."

Prominent citizens of the day, including America's Ambassador to
the Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, and Britain's Lord Bryce
reported on the massacres in great detail. Morgenthau was appalled
at what he would later call the "sadistic orgies" of rape, torture
and murder. Lord Bryce, a former British Ambassador to the United
States, worked to raise awareness of and money for the victims of
what he called "the most colossal crime in the history of the
world." In October 1915 the Rockefeller Foundation contributed
$30,000 - a sum worth more than half a million dollars today - to a
relief fund for Armenia.

Despite this overwhelming documentary and eye-witness proof of the
Armenian Genocide, Goldberg's documentary includes denialist views
to present a comprehensive perspective. It is therefore completely
unnecessary to include these discredited opinions in your panel;
doing so only promotes the propagation of false and misleading
views and undermines the credibility of PBS.

Surely, PBS would not consider broadcasting a documentary on the
Holocaust, followed by a panel that included Holocaust deniers. A
commitment to balance does not mandate the inclusion of opinions
that are objectively false.

We urge you to stand by PBS' commitment to public service and not
give voice to those who would deny the deliberate murder of 1.5
million people. We ask that you that you reconsider the decision
to include genocide deniers on your panel and that the panel either
be re-taped without them or eliminated altogether.

Sincerely,

[Gavur]

Mountain Lake Pbs Decides Not To Broadcast Panel Discussion

PRESS RELEASE
AGBU Montreal
Contact: Viken L. Attarian, Chairman
805, Manoogian street
St-Laurent,QC H4N 1Z5
Tel: 514-748-2428

MOUNTAIN LAKE PBS DECIDES NOT TO BROADCAST PANEL DISCUSSION


Montreal, February 23, 2006 - Mountain Lake PBS of Plattsburgh, NY has
decided not to broadcast a panel discussion to be broadcast after the airing
of Andrew Goldberg's ground-breaking documentary on the Armenian Genocide.

`We are pleased with this decision', said Viken L. Attarian, AGBU Montreal
chairman, 'because it will do justice to the memory of the 1.5 million who
perished as a result of this great crime against humanity'.

Alice Recore, CEO of Mountain Lake PBS said that the station took this
decision after carefully screening the documentary and concluding that it
was exceptional in quality and in content. `This documentary is made with a
highly professional approach and all views about this period in history have
been adequately presented. We felt that it is already very well-balanced and
there was no need to add any other discussion about the topic', added Paul
King, Executive Producer of the station.

`AGBU Montreal urges all the viewing public to continue supporting PBS by
becoming members, to actively voice their opinion about the various programs
that are being aired and to engage in all the forums of debate', added
Attarian.

After it airs on PBS, Andrew Goldberg's documentary on the Armenian Genocide
will also be screened during late April at the AGBU Montreal Alex Manoogian
center,. The filmmaker will be present to speak about the film. This event
will be announced under the AGBU Montreal's 6th annual Distinguished
Speakers on Genocide series in the media and on AGBU's website at
www.agbumontreal.org.

The Mountain Lake PBS of Plattsburgh, NY can be reached at:

Ms. Alice Recore, CEO
Mountain Lake PBS
One Sesame Street
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
USA