Here’s the text of a letter I send to about a dozen news directors the past day or so that you can use as a template or the basis of your own letter.  You can find News Director names on your local TV and radio station web sites–personalized copy is always effective, but volume carries the day.  Please feel free to use this and definitely forward this to people you think would participate.  This is too important to let sit.

Dear News Director:

Late last week, Vice President Dick Cheney claimed that he is not part of the Executive Branch of the government.  In fact, he claims that he is not part of any existing branch of the government but is somehow above the law and accountable to no one.  This is unprecedented in our history and represents a significant threat to our nation and our way of life.

This is a huge story, one that deserves serious, sustained and prominent coverage in your news broadcasts as it goes to the heart of our nation and its values.  No one in either party elected a dictatorship in 2004, yet the behavior of this current administration is no different from that of the leaders of any dictatorship anywhere in the world.  It certainly is not consistent with American laws and values.

I do not believe there is any issue facing your viewers more important than this.  Allowing this issue to be drowned by the 72-hour news cycle puts us in jeopardy, as the Vice President’s position threatens our rights and freedoms as citizens and ultimately, your rights as a news organization to exist as a free and independent entity.

Again, I urge you to cover this story fully until its conclusion.  This is an issue that really matters to us all.

Sincerely,

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