In the media

[indolent1]

Hi,

It may be useful to keep an eye on articles in the media that give our side of the story. I've just looked around and come up with the following. If anyone finds any others, it would be good to see them. I think they are useful when sending emails to the press.

Here's one published by a freelance journalist yesterday:

http://political-leaders-in-the-news.suite101.com/article.cfm/dalai_lama_versus_dorje_shugden

Here's an online article in Time magazine from 11th May:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988311,00.html

[Alexis]

Not so bad after all,

We should follow up on those articles, especially the Times one, and send more info to the journalists.

WDSS could also target specific journalists from Newsweek, People, etc. and feed them persecution material in the hope of spawning an article.

The info could also be sent to mainsteam local Newspapers and magazines a few days head of the protests in order to generate interest (Spin).


Thanks Indolent1!

[emptymountains]

Please note that the Times article is from 1998. However, perhaps the author would like to revisit it?

[Alexis]

Yes,

Let's send new info to this journalist!

His name is DAVID VAN BIEMA, and he seems to cover religious affaires for the Times mag.

Here is his most recent article on tibetan buddhism, dated May 15:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1807103,00.html

Maybe an exhaustive writter like our friend a friend  , Jeff, TK, Wisdombuddha, etc. could gather the most relevant material and sources and fax or email it to Mr. Van Biema?

What do you think?

[a friend]

Someone could find his email address? I'll write to him, no doubt.

But I don't expect much. I'm very surprised by his article.

He doesn't know that the Dalai Lama didn't have the right to recognize that Karmapa he's so enthousiastic about?!!!  In his article there is no mention of Thaye Dorje Rinpoche, the XVII Karmapa chosen by the one who did have the right to choose the Karmapa: Shamar Rinpoche.

Anyway, yes, of course, if someone could find his email of course I'll be glad to write to him, if you think it could be useful.

af

[Alexis]

You can contact him by clicking on his name in the article.

I couldn't find a direct email address however I found a facebook link for those who have a page there:

http://www.facebook.com/people/David_Van_Biema/566896657

[theloneranger]

i found this misleading article on colgate university maroon news, the same article then appeared on buddhist channel tv. i then sent a letter of complaint below to both organisations and i can happily say that the Buddhist channel tv withdraw the article straight away:-

http://media.www.maroon-news.com/media/storage/paper742/news/2008/04/24/News/Buddhist.Leader.Edifies.Campus.On.Happiness-3346294-page3.shtml

letter of complaint:-

Dear Editor

i read your news article regarding the Dalai Lama at Colgate University. I read the following excerpt:-

'Still not everybody was pleased to hear the Dalai Lama's message. As His Holiness spoke, a crowd of protestors from the Western Shugden Society, a group of Buddhist separatists who do not recognize the Dalai Lama's legitimacy, chanted demands for "religious freedom" outside the event entrance on College Street. Members of the sect would not comment directly to the Maroon-News, but many in the audience reported that the protestors admitted to being paid by the Chinese government to attend and denounce the Dalai Lama's appearance.'

This article is untrue and misleading, it implies that people from the western shugden society protesting against the Dalai Lama were being paid by the chinese. This is completely untrue and a misleading statement. Please can you make changes to your article so that the people viewing this article get a balanced view and clear picture of the truth. Nobody from this organisation is being paid by the chinese, infact nobody from the Shugden Society wants anything to do with the Chinese, the organisation is no way linked to the chinese, and i would challenge you to prove otherwise.  There were spokespeople at the demo who were addressing everyone in the media, i can't understand why the article implies that nobody from the 'sect' would comment directly! This is clearly untrue. This article is biased and incorrect. Infact the western shugden society is no ways a 'sect', we are actually from the Dalai Lama's own tradition of gelugpa!

Please see updated articles on:-

www.westernshugdensociety.org

http://www.westernshugdensociety.org/en/the-world-is-listening

You can also watch the following swiss documentary from you tube:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5sOm-uQH9Y
	Small | Large

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aboblx-0zAs&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1dILwsmwCQ&feature=related

I thank you very much for reading my email.

Regards


p.s. if anyone is also unhappy with the article which i think you will be please write to the editor at [email protected] and express your concerns!

[a friend]

Ranger,

Thank you for spotting this slanderous article.

Every single person should write a letter complaining for the extraordinary calumny.

We should write immediately but not as an answer to be included in a discussion, directly to the authorities that govern the University Maroon News.

Please, let's all send a letter (you can use the model of Loneranger, but not identical, it has to be our own)
to all of these people in Colgate, we should include the copies in the same mail, with CC, very visible:

The newspaper:
[email protected]

President Rebecca S. Chop
c/a Claudia J. Caraher
Assistant to the president
[email protected]

Charlotte Johnson
Vice president and dean of the college
[email protected]

Lyle D. Roelofs
Provost and dean of the faculty
[email protected]


Please report any answers or changes!

...

[indolent1]

Hi,

Here's a couple more:

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?&type=photo&photo_id=04Ti76kbIrbl4&pn=1&tid=04p7aOk0Ue40d

http://ww.telegraphindia.com/1080518/jsp/nation/story_9286999.jsp

And another one from 1998 This one's from the New Internationalist so worth mentioning:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JQP/is_304/ai_30042259

Finally, quite a good article on the West's fascination with Tibet which may go a bit over the top but does at least provide some perspective:

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brendan_oneill/2008/03/the_problem_with_tibet.html

[theloneranger]

some more articles:-

http://www.indymedia.org/pt/2008/05/905692.shtml

http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=31552

[Like Space]

Hi Everyone,
A tiny blurb appeared about the Dalai Lama today in the UK Independent - too tiny for the online version anyway. If you have access to the print version, it's on page 19, 'European News In Brief.' If you don't, here it is:
'Nuremburg The Dalai Lama told a crowd of 7,000 yesterday that religious tolerance was imperative and it was tragic that religious difference often let to bloodshed. 'We need all the different religions to serve the people, because the people are different and they have different goals,' he said. Tibet's spiritual leader is making a five day visit to Germany during which he will meet several state leaders, but not Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is visiting Latin America.'

But while I was looking online, I found this:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/karma-chameleon-he-charms-the-west-but-can-the-dalai-lama-save-tibet-828785.html

And, yipes, there's also this:
http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/sunday-review/rolling-with-team-lama-829694.html

So, I've sent links for both this website and the WSS website to both the UK and foreign news editors - the contact link is at the bottom of the page, in case anyone else wants to lob an e-mail or two their way. (I haven't sent anything to the writers of either article yet as it is way past my bedtime!)

Keep up the good work everybody!

LS

[Like Space]

Good Morning.

This was on the BBC website today:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7408799.stm

The article states that 'a variety of groups' will be protesting the Dalai Lama's visit. There is a link to another article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7409427.stm

which doesn't mention any protests, but talks about how Prime Minister Gordon Brown won't be meeting with him at No. 10 (official residence) like the two previous PMs, but that he will be meeting with him at the residence of the Archbishop of Canturbury, which is stated in the article as downplaying his political role and emphasizing his religious role.

Should be interesting...

LS