STEVE WILSON RETURNS TO T.V.

[Guest guest]

Perhaps Steve would like to do some " investigative reporting " into the

Silicone mess!

You can write him using the address below. Be sure to thank him for his

courage against the giant Monsanto and for standing up for the truth....

Patty

----- Original Message -----

From: " Rietz " <dorietz@...>

<notmilk >

Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2001 5:17 AM

Subject: NOTMILK - STEVE WILSON RETURNS TO T.V.

The king is dead.

Long live the king.

Like the fabled phoenix rising

from the ashes of his self-made

funeral pyre, Emmy-winning news

reporter Steve is back!

STEVE'S WIN IS DAIRY'S LOSS

Experts predicted that Steve would

never work again, but ABC's Detroit

affiliate has hired Steve to be

their investigative reporter.

You may recall Steve's story.

He and his wife, Jane Akre, were

fired from the FOX affiliate in

Tampa for daring to report the

dangers of Monsanto's genetically

engineered bovine growth hormone.

It took Steve and Jane three years

to win America's most publicized

whistle blower suit. Most of Steve's

colleagues recognized the enormous

fraternity of corporate media and

are pleasantly shocked by the news

that Steve will soon be back on

the air.

Steve asked me to pass on his

thanks to you for your support.

Steve and Jane's EMAIL addresses

appear at the end of his statement.

Please join me in welcoming

Steve back!

_________________________________________

" It's been a while since Jane Akre

and I have posted anything to the

Fox-BGH Suit list you joined some

time ago. We know you will understand

what a turbulent period it has been

for us and our family, even after

winning the lawsuit and jumping right

into a strategy to protect the jury

verdict that Fox is aggressively

appealing.

Before you hear rumors or read about it,

I wanted to tell you about a decision

I've made to return to work in the

mainstream media while Jane and I continue

the work we've started to establish a

truly alternative media outlet.

Since the day we filed our lawsuit against

Fox Television's WTVT in Tampa more than

three years ago, both of us have always

said we never expected to be offered jobs

in the mainstream media again. nd, given

the state of much if not most of the news

media these days, that was fine with us.

Since winning the Goldman Prize earlier

this year, we have devoted most of our

time to building an independent source

of important news reports that can be

produced without a corporate spin and

without undue deference to the powers

that control much of the big, established

media these days. We are so grateful that

so many of you have helped with your

ideas, suggestions and contacts.

In the middle of our efforts, I received

a call this past summer inquiring whether

I would be interested in rebuilding and

heading a new investigative unit at

WXYZ-TV, the ABC affiliate in Detroit.

I must admit-and I'm sure you can

understand why-I was skeptical that there

is a place anywhere on commercial television

these days for strong, serious investigative

reporting. My first inclination was to

simply say a polite " no thank-you. " But

then some of you reminded me of the potential

to make the media better from the inside

anywhere there is a station still willing

to put the public interests ahead of its

own interests.

After visiting WXYZ and meeting face-to-face

with its managers, I believe Channel 7 in

Detroit is remarkable and truly different

kind of television station.

The station's manager is a woman who grew

up in Detroit and cares more about what's

happening to her community than " share

points " and " branding " concepts that drive

so many of her contemporaries. Jerry

Springer's show was #1 and making plenty

of money for Channel 7 before she cancelled

it in response to comments she kept

hearing from her fellow parishioners at

mass and complaints from others who

obviously touched her own sensibilities

about the kind of material her station

was airing in that time slot.

Aside from a long history of serious

investigative reporting that has earned

WXYZ the highest awards in journalism,

the present news director is a solid

Journalist who developed his skills in

the halcyon days at CBS in New York.

While the other stations in Detroit expose

strippers on golf junkets and produce story

after story of municipal workers loafing

and leaning of their shovels most of the day

(a sort of shooting-fish-in-the-barrel kind

of journalism), Channel 7 says its wants to

devote its time and resources to more

important maters, the kind of stuff you

and I really care about.

Yes, my new employer, like most other

major TV stations today, is owned by a big

corporation. But there is a big difference.

WXYZ is owned by Scripps-, a company

still largely held and controlled by a

family with long and deep roots in

journalism and a strong commitment to keep

doing it. The president of its television

division is himself a Journalist with a

sterling reputation, not merely a

bean-counter or lawyer bent on the biggest

bottom line at any cost. And he has assured

me that support for the kind of serious

journalism WXYZ wants to do now comes

straight from the corporate top. It is a

refreshing difference from what we found

at Fox.

Because I am convinced that the opportunity

at this station is so unusual, I have

accepted the job at WXYZ and have already

begun looking for stories to report there.

I hope each of you, no matter how disgusted

you are with mainstream media, will keep me

in mind if a topic of importance to you can

be meaningful to the audience in Detroit.

I am going there to give 100% to produce

and do the kind of work that so many other

stations are no longer interested in. If it

CAN be done, I still think it SHOULD be

done-and I would certainly appreciate

your help.

Jane and our daughter are going to continue

to live here in Florida for now. Alyx enjoys

a unique opportunity at her school and Jane

can continue the work of establishing the

501-c-3 she has tentatively named the

Center for Media Integrity. And although I

will be spending much time in Detroit, I am

not giving up on our goal to establish a

center where we and other journalists can

produce important investigations in the

public interest and distribute them widely

on truly alternative television. We have

already made what we believe is real

progress in developing a way to use

satellite and cable-TV channels to

distribute those news reports.

Jane and I both want to thank you so much

for your support and encouragement through

what has been some pretty dark days in the

last few years. The first written briefs

in the Fox appeal are due in the next

few weeks and we will be writing to keep

you advised of their latest strategy to

convince a court there is no law against

using the public airwaves to deliberately

lie and distort the news. In the meantime,

please feel free to contact us with your

great ideas or even just a friendly hello.

As always, we're at:

wilson@...

akre@...

In deep and sincere appreciation

of your support,

Steve "

_________________________________________

Cohen

http://www.notmilk.com

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