SotU Censorship of Peace

Tell Mitchell Schmale to stop censoring war ads!

Background: Comcast is censoring ads in tonight’s state of the union (see below)
Action: Contact the spokesperson to voice your discontent

Email: Mitchell_Schmale [at] cable.comcast.com

CONTACT MITCHELL AT HOME:

Mitchell Schmale
3515 Carrollton Rd, Hampstead, MD 21074
(410) 239 - 2164


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=536&e=4&cid=536&u=/ap/20030129/ap_on_re_us/anti_war_ads
Anti-War Ads Rejected During Bush Speech



By JOHN CURRAN, Associated Press Writer

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - The Comcast cable television company rejected ads that an anti-war group wanted to air during President Bush (news - web sites)'s State of the Union speech, saying they included unsubstantiated claims.


Peace Action Education Fund had spent $5,000 to have six 30-second ads aired on CNN by Philadelphia-based Comcast beginning Tuesday night. During his speech, Bush was expected to reiterate his case for war.


The ads were to be broadcast in the Washington, D.C., area. But Comcast's legal department notified the group Tuesday morning that the ads would not air.


"Comcast runs advertisements from many sources representing a wide range of viewpoints, pro and con," Comcast spokesman Mitchell Schmale said in a statement issued Tuesday evening. "However, we must decline to run any spot that fails to substantiate certain claims or charges. In our view, this spot raises such questions."


The statement did not specify what Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, objected to.


The ads show citizens expressing opposition to war with Iraq and were to run twice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights.


The idea was to reach Congress members, Cabinet members and other Washington decision makers, said the Rev. Robert Moore, executive director of the 2,000-member peace group, which is based in Princeton.


"This is an outrageous infringement on our First Amendment rights, in the center of our democracy, Washington, D.C.," he said.

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