RADAR ALERT: 2006: It was an Amazing Year!

In 2006, RADAR greatly expanded its activities over the previous year, continuing to monitor for media bias and promoting advocacy efforts from the local level all the way to the United Nations. RADAR also maintained an active presence in the U.S House of Representatives and Senate.

During the year, RADAR issued 44 Alerts, 15 press releases, 8 Special Reports, and organized 3 major campaigns. In the process, an estimated 20 million learned the truth of domestic violence and how the Violence Against Women Act violates civil liberties.

RADAR also spearheaded a national consortium of concerned groups, the VAWA Reform Coalition, which grew to 62 affiliates by year end.

Passage of the Violence Against Women Act

On January 5, President Bush signed into law the 2005 Violence Against Women Act. The law contained the following non-exclusionary wording in Section 40002(b)(8):

"Nothing in this title shall be construed to prohibit male victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking from receiving benefits and services under this title."

Although the wording is weak and does not outline penalties for violation, it is better language than the previous law, which included no statement about male victims.

Media Efforts

In addition to the 15 press releases, RADAR issued Alerts regarding biased media coverage in The Oklahoman (Jan. 22), Contra Costa Times (May 21), Newsweek (Oct. 2), and the Washington Times (Nov. 13 and 27).

Public Broadcasting Service

Following numerous complaints generated by RADAR and other groups in 2005, PBS aired its long-awaited follow-up program, Kids & Divorce: For Better or Worse, in November 2006. The focus of the show was the effects of divorce on children, not domestic violence. Still, the program was seen as far more balanced than the earlier "Breaking the Silence" program.

Washington Times

As a result of thousands of complaints regarding a defamatory statement about husbands in India, the Washington Times issued this retraction on November 28:

“Using a chart published in a 2005 U.N. Population Fund report – which the UN agency now says was misleading – a London Daily Telegraph article published in Nov. 13 editions of The Washington Times incorrectly stated the frequencies of wife abuse in India. The agency says that it does not have sufficient data to provide such a figure and that the chart was intended to show that 70 percent of Indian women who were abused by their husbands think such abuse is justified in at least some circumstances.” (http://washingtontimes.com/corrections/20061128-102228-2806r.htm)

Campaigns

RADAR coordinated three large-scale campaigns in 2006, two focused
in the United States and a third that was international in scope.

1. VAWA Civil Rights Awareness Campaign, March 20 – April 28

   RADAR organized a campaign designed to increase the awareness of the public and lawmakers about the civil rights abuses caused by VAWA. The centerpiece of the campaign was the release of 5 Special Reports:

   1. VAWA: Threat to Families, Children, Men, and Women (http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/VAWA-Threat-to-Families.pdf)
   2. Without Restraint: The Use and Abuse of Domestic
      Restraining Orders (http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/VAWA-Restraining-Orders.pdf)
   3. VAWA Programs Discriminate Against Male Victims (http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/VAWA-Discriminates-Against-Males.pdf)
   4. Justice Denied: Arrest Policies for Domestic Violence (http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/Justice-Denied-DV-Arrest-Policies.pdf)
   5. Bias in the Judiciary: The Case of Domestic Violence (http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/Bias-In-The-Judiciary.pdf)

   On April 27 a caller on the Sean Hannity radio show discussed the problems of VAWA, reaching 10 million listeners. For more information, see: http://www.mediaradar.org/accomplishments2006SpringCampaign.php.

2. Truth and Consequences Campaign, June 19 – November 17

   RADAR organized a 21-week campaign designed to educate candidates, the media, and others about VAWA. The campaign featured 3 Special Reports that examined state-level domestic violence laws:

   1. Expanding Definitions of Domestic Violence, Vanishing Rule of Law (http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/Vanishing-Rule-of-Law.pdf)
   2. Perverse Incentives, False Allegations, and Forgotten Children (http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/Perverse-Incentives.pdf)
   3. An Epidemic of Civil Rights Abuses: Ranking of States’ Domestic Violence Laws ( http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/Ranking-of-States-DV-Laws.pdf)

   This campaign resulted in at least 3 newspaper interviews, 2 radio interviews, 3 editorials, and 3 letters to the editor. An estimated 2 million persons were reached. During the campaign, the resolution co-signers constituted themselves into the VAWA Reform Coalition, and by the end of the campaign the number of affiliates in the Coalition had reached 62: http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/VAWA-Resolution.pdf.

   After the campaign, the Vallejo Times Herald (CA) ran a lengthy article, “Domestic Abuse: Does Money Fuel False Allegations?” that highlighted how open-ended definitions and incentives lead to false allegations and unnecessary restraining orders: http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_4857258.

   For more information on this campaign, see: http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/TandC-Accomplishments.pdf.

3. UN Secretary-General’s Study on Violence Against Women

   In October, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan released his long-awaited Study on Violence Against Women. In response to intensive efforts, 117 organizations in 14 countries signed a Resolution criticizing the report: http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/UN-ViolenceReport-Resolution.pdf.

   Five Alerts were issued and 4 editorials published. An estimated 30,000 e-mails were sent to Ambassador John Bolton. As a result, the UN Third Committee only “noted” the report, which is the diplomatic equivalent of disapproving a document.

Other Advocacy Efforts

Alerts were also directed to Roger Williams University (Feb. 12), the American Association for Retired Persons (Feb. 26), and the Department of Health and Human Services (Dec. 11). On October 16, an Alert was released to thank President Bush for including male victims in his annual proclamation for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

In conclusion, RADAR acknowledges the hard work of thousands of men and women around the country who worked to assure that the problem of domestic violence is treated in a balanced and effective manner.

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Date of RADAR Release: December 27, 2006

R.A.D.A.R. – Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting – is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of men and women working to assure that the problem of domestic violence is treated in a balanced and effective manner. http://www.mediaradar.org/.