Of course you know about the most recent developments in Sudan, because you follow the work of organizations such as the Save Darfur Coalition.  It is entirely expected that an organization dedicated to the issues in Darfur would be on top of the latest news, especially in regard to violence against Sudanese women.  But why is this very important issue so often under the radar of the major media outlets?  As an undergraduate journalism student, I was always told by my professors that the whole point of journalism is to “afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.”  When the truth is not confronting you from your television, you have a tendency to think that it is no longer an issue.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

That is why today, Day 15 of the 16 Days, we honor NBC journalist Ann Curry for her in-depth reporting at the forefront of this issue.  She focuses on individual stories of the women caught in the conflict, giving a human face to the survivors and a voice to those who are often silenced.  In this way, Ann Curry embodies the journalistic tradition I was taught—she comforts the afflicted women by empowering them and sharing their stories, and afflicts those of us living comfortably by showing us the costs of our ignorance or perhaps our inadvertent compliance.

To observe the 15^th day of this campaign, I am writing to Dateline NBC to ask the producers to continue this excellent journalism by running a special on violence against women in Sudan.  While our televisions are awash with other things, is it important for us to not let the suffering of the women in Darfur be forgotten.  The only time the major networks should fail to run these stories is when they are no longer necessary—when violence against women ceases in Darfur.  That is why I hope you will join me in writing to Dateline NBC (Dateline@nbcuni.com).  If enough of us show a determination to bring back the voices of those women in Darfur, we can tune in to an important issue instead of who is gaining weight in Hollywood.

Britney Schultz is a Communications Intern at the Save Darfur Coalition.

The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.

Tags: 16 Days, Activism, Ann Curry, Darfur

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 11:28 am and is filed under Violence Against Women. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.