FCC
Enforcement Bureau
Investigations and Hearings
Division 455
12th. St. S.W.
Washington, DC. 20554
Att: David H. Solomon, Chief
Dear Mr. Solomon,
I am filing this Official Complaint and Notice regarding the violation of Rule 47 C.F.R Sect. 73.1217 against the American Broadcasting Corporation, its affiliates and parent company.
On Wednesday, September 9th, 2004, Peter Jennings of 'World News Tonight' , subsegment 'Closer Look' and Ted Koppel of 'Nightline' did egregiously and blatantly violate the aforesaid rules, along with common decency, journalistic integrity and balanced news coverage.
To wit: The Messrs. Jennings and Koppel have recklessly reported and endorsed egregious material errors in an inflammatory, negligent and grossly inaccurate way, therefore endangering my person, welfare, and emotional state.
The above-referenced programs discussed the expiration of the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 and speculating the consequences of it's legislated demise. In doing so, to ostensibly clarify the characteristics of the weapons in question, they willfully and with malice and disregard for truth showed catastrophic crimes being committed with machine guns that are cosmetically identical to my personal semi-automatic rifles.
As a direct result of these intentionally shocking and catastrophic massacres being associated with totally legal weapons, I am now labeled as such a person by inference, as I am a collector and shooter of the visually identical firearms and have been stigmatized to the point of mental distress and anguish.
There must be truth in journalism, or the malefactors who defy such ethics should be censured and removed from the air for a 30 day period as would an athlete be for committing a blatant foul injuring others. I'm sure that you have rules for such a blatant breach of responsible practices. I would suggest a fine of $5,000,000 paid to the FCC for said violation, further a broadcast and print apology to gun owners citing their breach of objectivity and ethics. Finally, a mandated donation of $5,000,000 to a minority university to fund or chair a seat for 'Broadcast journalism ethics'.
Please investigate this gross breach of your hoax rulings and others that you may find, as applicable. I will not sit idly by and have my hobby, my rights as an American stigmatized in such a manner as to make me in fear of my own safety, reputation, and mental state in exercising same.
Sincerely,
