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Last Sunday, March 26, 2005, Berke Breathed did just that in his nationally syndicated comic strip "Opus". Since the strip is not available anywhere on the web, the dialog from the strip can be viewed at http://www.mediaradar.org/alert_opus.php#the_strip , so you can get some idea of what the strip said.
This week, let's take this opportunity to express our gratitude by sending Berke Breathed letters thanking him for acknowledging that a penchant for violence is not a male trait, but a human trait, and likewise that compassion and empathy are human traits which are not the exclusive domain of women.
You might also mention some facts that Berke Breathed might not be aware of, such as:
* the U.S. Department of Justice reports 834,732 annual cases of men abused by women, representing 36% of all cases of abuse annually. (See Exhibit 7, Page 7 http://ncjrs.org/pdffiles/172837.pdf)
* virtually all funding for organizations to serve domestic abuse victims is provided by VAWA. Before VAWA was enacted, early drafts of the domestic violence section of the law used gender neutral language. However the version of the law that was enacted in 1994 used gender-discriminatory language. As a result, organizations that wish to provide services to male victims have been routinely excluded from receiving funding.
Additional facts you might want to cite can be found on our media fact sheet at http://www.mediaradar.org/media_fact_sheet.php.
Berke Breathed may be contacted at opus-at-washpost.com.
Opus is syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group. The contact for the Opus comic strip is:
Alan Shearer, Editorial Director/General Manager
Washington Post Writers Group
1150 15th St. NW
Washington, DC 20071
shearera-at-washpost.com
When you write, be sure to include your name, address, and daytime telephone number.
To help generate media interest in RADAR, please mention you are contacting them in response to a RADAR Alert.
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Date of RADAR Release: April 3, 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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