Post by Jessie on Mar 11, 2006 14:59:59 GMT -5
I copied this from a Yahoo group I'm on . . . some of you may have already seen this.
Jessie
Dear DS advocates,
I wanted to pass on this release to you. You will find it attached and below. I just released it to the press here in Los Angeles. Please let your members know about this ground breaking stand that FOX is taking to “lock out” the word “retarded” from their productions. This is the good news; the bad news is that the first episode of “The Loop” will include the word in a derogatory manner. I suggest if anyone wants to write to Peter Ligouri, we need to thank him for this groundbreaking decision. After “The Loop” airs, March 15th, we can certainly let him know that we were disappointed that it went over the air including the “retarded” remark and still thank him that it won’t happen in the future. You need to know that Peter is the new President of FOX and says if he had been the President when it was made he would have stopped it.
Peter Ligouri, President
Fox Broadcasting Network
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Gail Williamson
Executive Director
Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles
315 Arden Avenue, Suite 25
Glendale, CA 91203
818-242-7871 voice
818-242-7819 fax
www.dsala.org
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gail Williamson
Executive Director
Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles
818-242-7871
818-515-1375
gail@dsala.org
The Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles Applauds FOX’s Decision on the “R” Word
March 10, 2006
Los Angeles, CA – Peter Ligouri, President of FOX Broadcasting Network will lock out the word “retarded” from FOX Productions according to Lawrence Jacobs, General Counsel of Fox Entertainment Group and News Corp in New York in a response to the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles (DSALA).
Public demand has brought FOX to this decision. The National Down Syndrome Society in New York received phone calls from concerned parents about a promo airing during FOX’s top grossing show “American Idol” for the upcoming comedy series “The Loop.” The promo included the statement “you have a retarded squirrel look on your face.” NDSS alerted Gail Williamson, Executive Director of the DSALA and long time media advocate for people with disabilities. Williamson contacted Lawrence Jacobs who had come to her aid on a previous media issue. Jacobs’ concern got the studio to pull the promo, but was told it was too late to re-edit the first episode of “The Loop” due to premiere on Wednesday, March 15th following “American Idol.”
The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), the National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC) and the Arc of the U.S. have fought this fight before but never has a studio heard and responded to their concerns with such a definitive response. Jacobs reported that Ligouri felt if the use of the word offended a group of people this much it should be left out of any program they produce. Williamson and the DSALA have been campaigning to keep the word “retarded” from being used in the media to slam someone or something for many years. She reports “the word exists on the medical charts of over 2 million people word wide trying to fit into their communities participating in education, employment, living, worship and recreation opportunities; it is extremely dangerous to use it as derogatory term. This casual use of the word meant to offend can escalate to isolation, segregation and even abuse of people with intellectual disabilities.”
Jon Colman, NDSS Acting Director, applauds Ligouri for this groundbreaking decision. “NDSS is pleased with Fox’s response and hopes that other studios and networks will review how their Standards and Practices Departments govern the use of the word as well” said Colman.
Jessie
Dear DS advocates,
I wanted to pass on this release to you. You will find it attached and below. I just released it to the press here in Los Angeles. Please let your members know about this ground breaking stand that FOX is taking to “lock out” the word “retarded” from their productions. This is the good news; the bad news is that the first episode of “The Loop” will include the word in a derogatory manner. I suggest if anyone wants to write to Peter Ligouri, we need to thank him for this groundbreaking decision. After “The Loop” airs, March 15th, we can certainly let him know that we were disappointed that it went over the air including the “retarded” remark and still thank him that it won’t happen in the future. You need to know that Peter is the new President of FOX and says if he had been the President when it was made he would have stopped it.
Peter Ligouri, President
Fox Broadcasting Network
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
Gail Williamson
Executive Director
Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles
315 Arden Avenue, Suite 25
Glendale, CA 91203
818-242-7871 voice
818-242-7819 fax
www.dsala.org
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gail Williamson
Executive Director
Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles
818-242-7871
818-515-1375
gail@dsala.org
The Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles Applauds FOX’s Decision on the “R” Word
March 10, 2006
Los Angeles, CA – Peter Ligouri, President of FOX Broadcasting Network will lock out the word “retarded” from FOX Productions according to Lawrence Jacobs, General Counsel of Fox Entertainment Group and News Corp in New York in a response to the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles (DSALA).
Public demand has brought FOX to this decision. The National Down Syndrome Society in New York received phone calls from concerned parents about a promo airing during FOX’s top grossing show “American Idol” for the upcoming comedy series “The Loop.” The promo included the statement “you have a retarded squirrel look on your face.” NDSS alerted Gail Williamson, Executive Director of the DSALA and long time media advocate for people with disabilities. Williamson contacted Lawrence Jacobs who had come to her aid on a previous media issue. Jacobs’ concern got the studio to pull the promo, but was told it was too late to re-edit the first episode of “The Loop” due to premiere on Wednesday, March 15th following “American Idol.”
The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), the National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC) and the Arc of the U.S. have fought this fight before but never has a studio heard and responded to their concerns with such a definitive response. Jacobs reported that Ligouri felt if the use of the word offended a group of people this much it should be left out of any program they produce. Williamson and the DSALA have been campaigning to keep the word “retarded” from being used in the media to slam someone or something for many years. She reports “the word exists on the medical charts of over 2 million people word wide trying to fit into their communities participating in education, employment, living, worship and recreation opportunities; it is extremely dangerous to use it as derogatory term. This casual use of the word meant to offend can escalate to isolation, segregation and even abuse of people with intellectual disabilities.”
Jon Colman, NDSS Acting Director, applauds Ligouri for this groundbreaking decision. “NDSS is pleased with Fox’s response and hopes that other studios and networks will review how their Standards and Practices Departments govern the use of the word as well” said Colman.
&
Susan, Proud mom of Michael (32), Justin (25) Emily (22ds), and Jordan (20).
