/LMAR=0/XLINE=3/FONT#0=BASL30/FONT#1=BASI30/FONT#2=BASB30/FONT#3=STA200/FONT#4=NGB25
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305
␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
-July 5, 1976




␈↓ ↓H␈↓KQED Television
␈↓ ↓H␈↓ 1011 Bryant St.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓San Francisco, CA

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Gentlemen:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        This␈α
is␈α
to␈α∞put␈α
in␈α
writing␈α
a␈α∞telephoned␈α
protest␈α
against␈α
your␈α∞July␈α
5␈α
␈↓↓Newsroom␈↓␈α∞treatment␈α
of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓threats␈α∩by␈α∩the␈α⊃New␈α∩World␈α∩Liberation␈α⊃Front␈α∩to␈α∩bomb␈α⊃PG&E.␈α∩ I␈α∩spoke␈α⊃with␈α∩a␈α∩Mr.␈α∩Kranz␈α⊃-
␈↓ ↓H␈↓apparently the right person since my protest is about a news assignment.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓My complaints are the following:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        1.␈αTerrorists␈αlike␈αNWLF␈αare␈αdependent␈αon␈αpublicity,␈αand␈αyou␈αare␈αincreasing␈α
the␈αlikelihood
␈↓ ↓H␈↓that␈α∞they␈α∞will␈α∞kill␈α∞more␈α∞people␈α∞by␈α∞your␈α∞interview.␈α∞ Like␈α∞all␈α∞war␈α∞and␈α∞crime,␈α∞terrorism␈α∞is␈α∞often␈α
a
␈↓ ↓H␈↓boring␈α∞and␈α
frustrating␈α∞activity,␈α
and␈α∞people␈α
drop␈α∞out␈α
from␈α∞it␈α
even␈α∞if␈α
not␈α∞caught.␈α∞ By␈α
presenting
␈↓ ↓H␈↓their␈α
activity␈α∞just␈α
as␈α∞they␈α
want␈α
it␈α∞presented,␈α
you␈α∞gave␈α
their␈α
morale␈α∞a␈α
lift␈α∞and␈α
helped␈α∞them␈α
gain
␈↓ ↓H␈↓new recruits from among those who express enthusiasm.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        2.␈α∂You␈α∞interviewed␈α∂the␈α∂terrorist␈α∞spokeswoman␈α∂respectfully,␈α∞even␈α∂obsequiously,␈α∂asking␈α∞just
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α∞questions␈α∞she␈α∞apparently␈α∂wanted␈α∞to␈α∞be␈α∞asked.␈α∂ You␈α∞refrained␈α∞from␈α∞asking␈α∂any␈α∞embarassing
␈↓ ↓H␈↓questions␈α∩like,␈α∪"Aren't␈α∩you,␈α∩'the␈α∪above-ground␈α∩spokeswoman"␈α∩guilty␈α∪of␈α∩conspiracy␈α∪to␈α∩attempt
␈↓ ↓H␈↓murder␈αor␈αof␈αattempted␈αextortion?"␈αYou␈αin␈αno␈αway␈αquestioned␈αthe␈αmorality␈αof␈αtheir␈αactions,␈αor,␈αif
␈↓ ↓H␈↓you␈α
did,␈α
it␈α
was␈α
lost␈α
in␈α
the␈α
general␈α
impression.␈α
 This␈α
was␈α
particularly␈α
shocking␈α
the␈α
day␈α∞after␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓ordeal␈α∞of␈α∞the␈α∞hijack␈α∞victims␈α
in␈α∞Uganda␈α∞ended.␈α∞ There␈α∞seemed␈α
to␈α∞be␈α∞no␈α∞concept␈α∞that␈α
aggressive
␈↓ ↓H␈↓questioning or adversary journalism has any application to interviewing terrorists.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        3.␈α∀On␈α∪the␈α∀other␈α∪hand,␈α∀your␈α∀reporter␈α∪aggressively␈α∀questioned␈α∪the␈α∀rather␈α∀inept␈α∪PG&E
␈↓ ↓H␈↓spokesman,␈α⊂insinuating␈α⊂that␈α⊂PG&E␈α⊂was␈α⊂guilty␈α⊃for␈α⊂not␈α⊂either␈α⊂meeting␈α⊂the␈α⊂demands␈α⊃or␈α⊂halting
␈↓ ↓H␈↓operations␈α⊂or␈α∂something.␈α⊂ You␈α∂pressed␈α⊂him␈α⊂on␈α∂whether␈α⊂PG&E␈α∂was␈α⊂taking␈α⊂special␈α∂precautions.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓You␈α
should␈α
know␈α
that␈α
whether␈α
they␈α
are␈α
and␈αwhat␈α
they␈α
might␈α
be␈α
should␈α
be␈α
kept␈α
secret.␈α
 In␈αthis
␈↓ ↓H␈↓line␈α
of␈αquestioning,␈α
you␈αadvanced␈α
the␈αterrorist␈α
position␈αthat␈α
the␈αvictim␈α
organization,␈α
rather␈αthan
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α⊃terrorists,␈α⊃are␈α⊃morally␈α⊂responsible␈α⊃for␈α⊃deaths,␈α⊃maiming,␈α⊂and␈α⊃destruction␈α⊃of␈α⊃property.␈α⊂ You
␈↓ ↓H␈↓might␈αhave␈αcriticized␈αthe␈α
PG&E␈αman␈αfor␈αletting␈αviewers␈α
get␈αthe␈αimpression␈αthat␈αPG&E␈α
ought␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓have surrendered to extortion if only it were legally possible.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈αdon't␈αwatch␈αKQED␈αoften␈αany␈αmore,␈αbut␈αif␈αthis␈αis␈αthe␈αway␈αyou␈αhandle␈αterrorism,␈α then␈α
you
␈↓ ↓H␈↓bear part of the responsibility for its continued prevalence.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈αdon't␈αknow␈αif␈αthe␈α
concept␈αof␈α"free␈αspeech␈αstatement"␈α
applies␈αto␈αeducational␈αtelevision.␈α If␈α
it
␈↓ ↓H␈↓does,␈αconsider␈αthis␈α
a␈αrequest␈α(or␈αdemand␈α
if␈αthat␈αhas␈αrelevant␈α
technical␈αmeaning)␈αto␈αcriticize␈α
it␈αon
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α∂air.␈α∂ I␈α∂would␈α∂propose␈α∂to␈α∂play␈α∂the␈α∂videotape␈α∂of␈α∂the␈α∂⊗Newsroom␈α∂presentation,␈α⊂assuming␈α∂you
␈↓ ↓H␈↓have␈αone,␈αand␈αcriticize␈αyour␈αrespectful␈αtreatment␈αof␈αterrorism.␈α You␈αmight␈αdecide␈αto␈αdefend␈αit,␈αbut
␈↓ ↓H␈↓you might also decide that some part of the criticism is warranted.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αKQED Television␈↓ ¬|July 5, 1976␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 



␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science