PANEL TOLD U.S. NEEDS TO SHOW ITS BASIC VALUES.Byline: Bill Hillburg Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Adding Arab-American families to soap operas, broadcasting less ``Baywatch'' and casting Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden: see bin Laden, Osama. as the villain of video games will help America's war on terrorism Terrorist acts and the threat of Terrorism have occupied the various law enforcement agencies in the U.S. government for many years. The Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, as amended by the usa patriot act , Congress was told Wednesday. ``We need to break away from the 'Baywatch' image of sunny, homogeneous beach bunnies,'' Hollywood producer-writer John Romano told the House International Relations Committee. He said TV's ``Baywatch'' and ``Who Wants to be a Millionaire,'' the top-rated U.S. shows in the Middle East, often leave the impression that Americans are amoral a·mor·al adj. 1. Not admitting of moral distinctions or judgments; neither moral nor immoral. 2. Lacking moral sensibility; not caring about right and wrong. people obsessed ob·sess v. ob·sessed, ob·sess·ing, ob·sess·es v.tr. To preoccupy the mind of excessively. v.intr. with consumerism. Romano, whose credits include ``Third Watch,'' ``Party of Five'' and ``Early Edition,'' suggested spicing up the bland shortwave short·wave adj. 1. Having a wavelength of approximately 10 to 200 meters. 2. Capable of receiving or transmitting at wavelengths of approximately 10 to 200 meters: a shortwave radio. broadcasts of government-run Voice of America Voice of America, broadcasting service of the United States Information Agency, est. 1942. Originally set up as a means of fighting the cold war, the Voice of America produces and broadcasts radio programs in English and foreign languages to other countries in order with TV services and such productions as ``The Practice'' and the movie ``Amistad.'' He also suggested that Hollywood could enhance the U.S. image overseas by producing a TV soap opera featuring an Arab-American family. ``Conveying our basic values is our most important battle,'' said Rep. Howard Berman, D-Mission Hills, a member of the panel. He said government public diplomacy efforts should also tap Hollywood's expertise to improve their products and counter hate mongering by terrorists and their allies. ``Our technology is woefully woe·ful also wo·ful adj. 1. Affected by or full of woe; mournful. 2. Causing or involving woe. 3. Deplorably bad or wretched: out of date,'' said Berman. ``Voice of America operates with shortwave broadcasts and weak signals that hardly anybody can hear.'' President George W. Bush, who said in an Oct. 11 speech that ``we've got to do a better job of making our case,'' has been pressing Hollywood to assist the cause. On Sunday, Bush's top political adviser met in Beverly Hills with entertainment executives to map out possible strategies to win Arab hearts and minds. ``We've got to get in the game,'' Norman Pattiz, chairman of Culver City-based Westwood One, the nation's largest radio programming source, told the congressional panel Wednesday. Pattiz, who also serves on the governing panel for Voice of America, urged more funding for the agency, which he said now struggles to broadcast news in 60 languages on an annual budget of $450 million. Pattiz said the United States cannot counter the hate broadcasts of Afghanistan's Taliban and terrorist groups unless it saturates the airwaves around the clock with AM, FM and TV signals. He also urged that local talent be utilized to produce shows. John W. Leslie Jr., chairman of New York-based Weber Shandwick Worldwide Weber Shandwick Worldwide is an international public relations firm which claims 60,000 employees in over 160 countries. It was formed by the merger of Weber Group, Shandwick International, and BSMG Worldwide in 2001. , the world's largest public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most firm, advocated an information campaign against bin Laden that would highlight his record as an outcast from his own family and a terrorist. ``Every tactical approach should be considered that can deliver the right message to the right targets with credibility,'' said Leslie. He also suggested that U.S. designers get the message to Arab youngsters by creating a video game that casts bin Laden as the bad guy. The terrorist leader is the hero in a game now widely available in the Middle East. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion