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-- - 1] : ~, T K < ITo .......-. iT. .H '11.:fiHnhm i.. ,1111 . fITUH ISTHERE INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE NEWS MEDIA? ne of the main reasons talk radio and a repressive government. These Lynn Smith, August 15 has become so enormously pop- verbal bomb-throwers encourage the Oular in recent years, not just for paranoid fantasies of the Una bomber on "29 Minutes" on Vince Foster's Death entertainment and conservative venting, the left and the Oklahoma City Perhaps the worst television "news" but as a major news source, is the dismal bombers on the right." reporting of the season was the hatchet state of the competition. "Mainstream" job CBS "60 Minutes" did on one of Art news reporting, particularly on the major "No Wonder She Embraced God: She's a Bell's recent guests, investigative jour- television networks, is hopelessly liberal, Ninth-Grade Dropout!" nalist Christopher Ruddy, the lone homogeneous, and increasingly obsessed When Norma McCorvey ("Jane Roe" American journalist investigating the with the trivial and sensational. Some in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade abor- death and official probes into former recent examples: tion case) converted to Christianity White House lawyer Vince Foster. recently, after years as a veritable icon Ruddy laid out the many glaring Why "CBSThis Morning" is in Third Place for tpe abortion rights movement, here inconsistencies and contradictions in the Co-Host Harry Smith: "This morn- is how the liberal press dealt with her Foster case for four hours on "Coast to ing's Big Story: The Speaker of the stunning defection: "She was a ninth- Coast AM recently, only to be smeared House Newt Gingrich and the grade dropout thrust at random into the on the October 8 "60 Minutes." The Republican majority will take on headlights of a divisive social move- only problem with Mike Wallace's story, Medicare this week, hoping to cut the ment-but she was a powerful symbol. in fact, was that he basically ignored the growth in spending for the program, but It's no wonder, analysts say, she flipped facts. In trying to imply that the case is their proposed cuts are so deep they over last week from the complex, intel- closed and that only Ruddy and a few have the President threatening a veto... lectual ideology of the abortion rights conspiratorial fanatics are still interested The question is, will the cuts or the movement to the security of a funda- in it, Wallace forgot to mention that reduction in spending that you all are mentalist faith dedicated to 'saving Independent Counsel Richard Starr says talking about, can you do it all with babies.' " -Los Angeles Times staff writer (Continued on page 13) increasing the premiums?" Newt Gingrich: "Let me start and say to you, I don't know how to win this dis- t/LOS"f eR~toe""1'{I\t.- cussion, OK? No, no, no, it's important, ",t'r:xO~1eS Hl\vt rHet~ it's very important, there are no cuts." Smith: "All right, who said cuts?" '-"") O\IJtJ HOMePAGri:' 0,., Gingrich: "You just said cuts." f"t f,.m::~f1'. Cf;M{JV1'ER Smith:"Reducingthe levelofspending." . V;e.£tS~ ~'f THet,e. -Exchange on CBS This Morning, J I..Pi1'6S'f St1G4it:f1JeS, . vtflt(l (.wfl>/l/ZDfJiH September19 ,.-.1 :1.. -rri~'sr~Il'fl. "IFfeS." The "VerbalBomb-Throwers"of TalkRadio ~ After the Oklahoma City tragedy, President Clinton unleashed a frenzied assault on talk radio, blaming it indirect- ly for the bombing attack. The hate-talk hasn't died down. Here's a recent exam- ple of it by reporter Ellen Hume in her September 6 USA Today column: "Our talk radio describes a nation tuned out to foreign realities, convinced that it has lost its freedoms to a 'feminazi' culture l Letters From Listeners ART-ICUIATIONS Saved by the Bell full time in my trade. But I will have to work a swing shift, so I can still listen to Dear Art, your program! I am 32 years old, come from a good family, am educated, gave Navy service, Christopher Desper Oakdale, Minnesota and my profession is hospital laboratory tech. For several years I have suffered from major depression and take pre- Cat Heaven scribed medication, which does very lit- tle to help my illness. I see my doctor Dear Art and Ramona, and therapist on a regular basis. Thank you for raising over $8,000.00 My life has seemed riddled with for the Pahrump Humane Society. We despair and hopelessness. So one night, received donations from Canada and not too long ago, I was feeling very every state where your talk show is depressed and suicidal, to the point that liked talk radio because I've always been heard. I felt no reason for my life to go on. I so alone, and it keeps me company. You One of the services we provide for went out to the garage, hung a rope over know what, Art? I never did go back into our community is taking care of people's the rafters and put a chair underneath to that garage. pets when they are hospitalized or tem- jump off of and hang myself. But I for- That night your program was so inter- porarily too ill to care for them. We feel got one thing. I forgot to write a letter to esting, unlike any other talk show I have this is very important as a lot of seniors my family telling them how much I love ever listened to, that I decided not to look to us for help. Some of the seniors them-a suicide note. So I took the rope kill myself. Every word I have said here live alone and their only friend is their off my neck, and went back inside my is the truth! Ever since then, I listen to cat or dog. We are building another cat- house to my room to write the letter. your program every night, I never miss tery with the money you raised for us. To this day I don't know why I did it. And ever since that night I have had a The new cattery will enable us to take what I did next, but I turned the radio renewed interest in life. I feel better, care of more unwanted cats and kit- on, probably just to hear from humanity and have not had even one thought of tens and continue helping people to for one last time. There you were, Art, suicide. My life is progressing out of that keep their pets. on 1500 KSTP. Before that night, I had dark place. I have not worked in over On behalf of the Board of Directors, never heard of you or your program. three years, but this coming Friday I will our staff, and the animals that have been I just sat there listening to you. You start a volunteer job at a nearby hospital and will be helped, I thank you. were so intelligent, spiritual, profession- to get back into the "swing of things." al, and kind to your listeners. I've always Hopefully, soon I will be back working June A. Frye President, Pahrump Humane Society PO Box 460, Pahrump, NV 89041 P.S. To Art's listeners and readers: We have tried to mail a personal "thank- you" to each and every person who donated to us. Unfortunately, we had trouble making out a few of the address- es, so if you didn't receive a personal thank you, our apologies, because we do appreciate your help. AFTER DARK welcomes your comments and communications. Send letters to AFTER DARK,c/o Chancellor Broadcasting Co., 744 E. Pine Street, Central Point, Oregon 97502, or you may FAXthem to 503-664-8261. To order AFTERDARKor Art Bell's programs on cassette, call our toll-free orderline at1-800-917-4278. AFTER DARK Page 2 From The High Desert... ARTHUR'S STO RY cover the living room and the hallway where the bedrooms were. Each night he Wehave a story to tellyou-Ramona and I, reviewed that day's tape-all eight hours! that is. I normally, but not exclusively, reserve Nothing, day after day. Then one day he thesepages for social-political analysis. This got results-big results. I had stopped by story ispersonal-and yet, in an imponant way his place to drop off some things and found it is alsopolitical. First thepersonal: him beside himself with excitement. He My son Art from my first marriage lives in proudly announced that he had caught the Pahrump with his mom, notfar from us, thank- thief on tape, breaking into his mother's fully, so An comesover all thetime to visit. And room-video clear as a bell showing the yet, as often as we seehim, he kept a personal guy wandering from room to room, taking pain from us, one that we onlyfound out about what interested him! recently-after youngAn had dealt with it. The local police were stunned by young Why did I say on the show that On the air, I talked all about Art's personal Art's ingenuity. They confronted the thief, this was one of the proudest adventure in resolving this pain but Ramona a 16-year-old neighbor who had in his pos- and I have additional comments about this 14- session Arthur's mother's "lost" diamond moments of my adult life? Not year-old "teenager"who has truly come of age. ring. When Art and I heard the whole story, just because Artis my son, but You can't blame us for being proud parents.

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