RADAR Alert: Could Diane Rehm Have Saved Phil Hartman?

Diane Rehm hosts an influential, nationally syndicated show on the Washington, D.C. NPR station WAMU. On April 28th she devoted an hour of her show to an interview with Victor Rivas Rivers, Hollywood actor, former Miami Dolphins football player, and spokesperson for the National Network to End Domestic Violence. You can listen to the interview at http://archives.wamu.org/real/2005/dr/r2050428.rm.

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In the interview, as in his recent book “A Private Family Matter,” Rivers recounts the horrors of his childhood with an abusive father. Rivers' tale is compelling. Having survived a truly horrific childhood, he now speaks “under the umbrella of domestic violence because,” he says, “domestic violence is all violence -- it's all encompassing. If there's a woman who's being abused, chances are she has children, and her children are either witnessing, or are being abused themselves.” Mr. Rivers' willingness to speak out is commendable. Although he fails to include violent women and victimized fathers and children when he says “domestic violence is all violence,” his myopia is certainly forgiveable in light of his personal experiences.

The question is not whether Mr. Rivers' speaking out is a noble act. It most certainly is. The question is whether Mr. Rivers would be provided a public forum to speak out if his own personal story contradicted the general belief that domestic violence is nearly always perpetrated by a brutal man against a helpless woman and children.

The fact is that this stereotype is false. The U.S. Dept. of Justice reports that men comprise 36% of victims of physical assault by an intimate partner - 834,732 per year! Yet movies like those Rivers acts in and radio shows like Rehm's keep the public uninformed about this part of the problem. And as a result, government funding for domestic violence services explicitly excludes programs for male victims.

Diane Rehm has done a public service by producing this show. But providing the public with only one part of the picture leaves us blind to a great deal of human suffering. Victor Rivers' own website mentions that he made his film debut in the movie “Last Resort” which starred the late Phil Hartman. After Phil Hartman was brutally murdered by his wife Brynn, stories started coming out about Brynn's abusive treatment of Phil thoughout their marriage. Yet the media steadfastly refused to apply the term “domestic violence” because the sex roles were reversed. If the media, including people like Ms. Rehm, had painted an accurate picture of domestic violence, perhaps a compassionate person like Mr. Rivers might have recognized the symptoms and offered Mr. Hartman the help he needed before it was too late.

The cost to society of the media's penchant for one-sided coverage of this issue is increased human misery. What would be the cost to the media to provide society with balanced coverage?

Please contact Diane Rehm and WAMU. Tell them the following points. Keep in mind the old adage that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

1. 834,732 men are physically assaulted by their wives or girlfriends annually. (US-DOJ National Violence Against Women Survey)

2. Under current law, programs that focus on services for male victims are not eligible to receive federal funds.

3. Doing a show on male domestic violence victims and their children would raise awareness and could save thousands of lives.

When you contact them, remember to include your name, address, and daytime telephone number. Here’s the contact information:

Email: drshow-at-wamu.org.

Snail mail:

The Diane Rehm Show

WAMU 88.5 FM American University Radio

4000 Brandywine Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20016-8082

Call-in Line: 1-800-433-8850

Comment Line: 202-885-1231

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Date of RADAR Release: May 2, 2005

Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting (RADAR) is a coalition of men and women working to assure media balance and accuracy in coverage of the domestic violence issue. More information can be found at: http://www.mediaradar.org/

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