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Dear WBUR underwriter,
We are writing to you about your freedom to
sponsor, and not to sponsor WBUR. Your fellow WBUR sponsor Hillel Stavis
who owns Wordsworth Books in Harvard Square in Cambridge decided to
cancel his sponsorship. Hillel decided to do this because he believes
that WBUR has pro-Palestinian bias in its coverage of the Middle East.
But this letter is not about the Middle
East, Hillel's, yours or ours political views. This letter is about
freedom. Today a group of protesters is picketing and boycotting
Wordsworth Books trying to disrupt its business. They demand that Hillel
continues his sponsorship of WBUR. This is correct -- they are demanding
that Hillel gives his money to their
favorite media outlet. Of course the use of external pressure while
demanding money has a name -- it is called extortion. And that is
exactly what is taking place on Harvard Square.
Unfortunately the station is
uncharacteristically silent about the story which is taking place a few
miles across the river from its headquarters. And this even after the
Boston Globe and the Harvard Crimson covered the story. Is WBUR an
incompetent news organization to the extent of missing a story about
itself? Or are they silent participants in the extortion and are sending
a message to all their underwriters -- pay up, or else.
We have contacted WBUR and asked them to
state their position to the Wordsworth Books picketing. We got the
following reply from WBUR's spokesman Mary Stohn: "WBUR has nothing to
do with the leafleting in front of Wordsworth. I think you need to
direct your concerns to the groups involved". That's it - they have no
position on this issue, and they don't want to be involved.
Please call the station and ask them to
state their position and to call off the extortionists from the business
of their sponsor, even if it is a former one. Because if your remain
silent today, when one group of protesters is disrupting Hillel's
business, tomorrow another group will come to you and nobody will be
there to protect you. The freedom to donate your money to your favorite
charity is a great freedom. It can be enjoyed fully only when it is free
from extortion. Please protect your freedom, call WBUR today, explain to
them that sponsorship should not be confused with the protection
racquet.
FYI:
Boston Globe: "WordsWorth targeted for WBUR
funding boycott"
Harvard Crimson:
Protest Targets Wordsworth
Bookstore owner criticized for pulling sponsorship of WBUR
Boston Phoenix:
Hillel Stavis’s protesters are missing the
point
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