A C T I O N A L E R T
DENIAL OF ETHNIC IDENTITY BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AND REUTERS
Whenever you read a news article that describes Macedonians as "Slavs" or "ethnic Slavs" let the editors know
that this kind of derogatory language is unacceptable.
Be advised that the Associated Press and Reuters are by far the worst offenders and their grossly biased reporting
is widely propagated.
Copy and paste the example letter below into your email client and send it to them EVERY DAY until they start
referring to Macedonians as "Macedonians."
The Associated Press
Louis D. Boccardi, President and CEO
International Headquarters
50 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, N.Y. 10020
United States
Address comments to: feedback@thewire.ap.org
Phone: 212-621-1500
AP's Code of Ethics
http://www.apme.com/about/code_ethics.shtml
Reuters
Sir Christopher Hogg, Chairman
Reuters Group PLC
85 Fleet Street
London EC4P 4AJ
England
Address comments to: editor@reuters.com
Phone: +44 20 7250 1122
Reuters' Principles
http://about.reuters.com/ar2000/review2000/pres_ind/index.htm
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Letter to the Associated Press and Reuters
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E-mail addresses: feedback@thewire.ap.org | editor@reuters.com
Subject: Denial of Ethnic Identity
Start Copying Below this Line
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Dear Sir/Madame:
Regarding your coverage of the events in Macedonia. We regard your substitution of the term "Slav" for "Macedonian" to be
unprofessional conduct and a breech of your responsibilities as an independent news service.
In virtually every article propagated by your service concerning the latest crisis in the Balkans you unerringly refer to Albanians
as "ethnic Albanian(s)" yet you never use equivalent terminology to refer to Macedonians - whom you call "Slavs." Your
reporting is grossly unbalanced. Analogous reporting about Afrikaners and Zulus would describe the parties as, "the ethnic
Dutch and Negroes."
Whereas you attribute an ethno-national identity to one group (Albanians = ethnic Albanians) you attribute a supranational
identity to the other (Macedonians = Slavs). By "never" using the equivalent terminology "ethnic Macedonians" you are
implicitly denying Macedonians their ethnic identity. That is unethical.
I cannot find a single article from your news service that refers to Macedonians as "Macedonians." You refer to us as
everything except how we are commonly known. By doing this you act as an instrument of propaganda for interests who are
known to persecute Macedonians and negate their ethnic identity.
A review of your previously published stories shows that you do not refer to Serbs as "Serb Slavs" or to Croats as "Croat
Slavs." In fact you refer to them as "Serbs" and Croats" respectively. The terminology you now use to refer to ethnic
Macedonians is not even consistent with your own established usage.
The intent of this e-mail is to formally inform you that your actions, as described above, denigrate and defame Macedonians.
They negatively affect the way Macedonians are perceived and afford legitimacy to those parties who would deny
Macedonians their ethnic identity.
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Ilinden the Macedonian
