hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) (11/18/85)
Dear fellow netters, Two weeks ago I posted to this newsgroup a copy of a letter I sent to 60 Minutes regarding their segment on Dungeons & Dragons and related teenage suicides. Two of their shows have aired since that time and neither has acknowledged receipt of the letter, let alone apologized for their misrepresentation of the facts. This apparent contempt for the facts, and for us, their audience, leads me to think some cage rattling is in order. Below is a generic letter to 60 Minutes demanding that they acknowledge and respond to the facts presented in my original letter. I urge those of you who care about such things to either print out this letter with your name appended or write your own letter to 60 Minutes and mail it out immediately. They seem to respond to mail volume. Let's show them they can't get away with "National Enquirer" style sensationalism. ---------------------------------CUT HERE------------------------------------- 18 November 1985 60 Minutes 524 W. 57th Street New York, NY 10019 Dear 60 Minutes, Two weeks ago I read on a world wide computer network an open letter to your program regarding the segment you recently presented on fantasy gaming and related teenage suicides. The letter cited statistics indicating that teenagers who play fantasy games are less likely to commit suicide than the average teenager by a ratio of at least 24 to 1. It concluded with a request that you check these statistics out for yourself and then respond appropriately (i.e.: with an apology). At least two of your programs have aired since that letter was mailed and no mention of it was made in the letters segment of either. From this I can only conclude that you are more interested in sensationalism than facts and your reputation for honest, even-handed reportage is merely a fabrication of your publicity department. I'm willing to give you a final opportunity to prove my conclusion wrong. If you haven't responded to the original letter within the next two weeks I'll know it's time to find something more useful to do with my Sunday evenings. Sincerely, --------------------------CUT HERE-------------------------------------------- Ok, folks. Here's your chance to make a difference and strike a blow against the know-nothing reactionaries. Have at 'em!! (And my sincere thanks to all those who sent encouraging responses to the original posting). -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe) Citicorp(+)TTI Common Sense is what tells you that a ten 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. pound weight falls ten times as fast as a Santa Monica, CA 90405 one pound weight. (213) 450-9111, ext. 2483 {philabs,randvax,trwrb,vortex}!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe
porges@inmet.UUCP (11/20/85)
>Two weeks ago I posted to this newsgroup a copy of a letter I sent to 60 >Minutes regarding their segment on Dungeons & Dragons and related teenage >suicides. Two of their shows have aired since that time and neither has >acknowledged receipt of the letter, let alone apologized for their >misrepresentation of the facts. This apparent contempt for the facts, and >for us, their audience, leads me to think some cage rattling is in order. Look..I agree that the news report was probably seriously inaccurate about D&D. Having said that, let's not get so outraged that they didn't put your letter on the air, OK? These guys get hundreds of letters each week from people who take issue with what they say. Perhaps they'll get to some such letter in their answerback segment within a month, which gives them time to collect all the disagreements into a pile. (Point of irony about the original report: what do you bet that the people whose son shot himself have around their house or their car something with the slogan "Guns don't kill people, people kill people"? Except when my son does it, and then we have to blame some other inanimate object for it.....) -- Don Porges ...harpo!inmet!porges ...hplabs!sri-unix!cca!ima!inmet!porges ...yale-comix!ima!inmet!porges
moakler@glasgow.UUCP (02/24/86)
> Dear fellow netters, > > Two weeks ago I posted to this newsgroup a copy of a letter I sent to 60 > Minutes regarding their segment on Dungeons & Dragons and related teenage > suicides. Two of their shows have aired since that time and neither has > acknowledged receipt of the letter, let alone apologized for their > misrepresentation of the facts. This apparent contempt for the facts, and > for us, their audience, leads me to think some cage rattling is in order. > > Below is a generic letter to 60 Minutes demanding that they acknowledge and > respond to the facts presented in my original letter. I urge those of you > who care about such things to either print out this letter with your name > appended or write your own letter to 60 Minutes and mail it out > immediately. They seem to respond to mail volume. Let's show them they > can't get away with "National Enquirer" style sensationalism. > > ---------------------------------CUT HERE------------------------------------- > > > > > 18 November 1985 > > > 60 Minutes > 524 W. 57th Street > New York, NY 10019 > > > Dear 60 Minutes, > > Two weeks ago I read on a world wide computer network an > open letter to your program regarding the segment you > recently presented on fantasy gaming and related teenage > suicides. The letter cited statistics indicating that > teenagers who play fantasy games are less likely to commit > suicide than the average teenager by a ratio of at least 24 > to 1. It concluded with a request that you check these > statistics out for yourself and then respond appropriately > (i.e.: with an apology). > > At least two of your programs have aired since that letter > was mailed and no mention of it was made in the letters > segment of either. From this I can only conclude that you > are more interested in sensationalism than facts and your > reputation for honest, even-handed reportage is merely a > fabrication of your publicity department. > > I'm willing to give you a final opportunity to prove my > conclusion wrong. If you haven't responded to the original > letter within the next two weeks I'll know it's time to find > something more useful to do with my Sunday evenings. > > > > Sincerely, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --------------------------CUT HERE-------------------------------------------- > > Ok, folks. Here's your chance to make a difference and strike a blow > against the know-nothing reactionaries. Have at 'em!! > > (And my sincere thanks to all those who sent encouraging responses to the > original posting). > > -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ > The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe) > Citicorp(+)TTI Common Sense is what tells you that a ten > 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. pound weight falls ten times as fast as a > Santa Monica, CA 90405 one pound weight. > (213) 450-9111, ext. 2483 > {philabs,randvax,trwrb,vortex}!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***