Heal Our Planet Earth
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Anthony Marr's letter to Global TV on hunting shows

Dear Global TV:

As a public educator I speak to tens of thousands of students every year, from kindergarten to university, often on the points of morality and ethics. With very young children I often ask them one question: "What is the worst reason for killing an animal - in self-defense, for food, for clothing, for money, for trophy or for entertainment?" I would run these past them one by one and ask them to raise their hands once and only once. I think you can guess which is the one they overwhelmingly condemn as the worse reason for killing an animal - for entertainment ("for fun" in their lingo) - and this includes anything from Spanish style bull fighting to American style recreational hunting. And it is universal, from school to school, with no exception.

Unfortunately, the older the children get, the more excuses they make for recreational hunting. And when I asked them what had changed their mind, many say that their parents hunt, some answered that they watched the hunting shows on TV, and a few specified the hunting shows on Global TV.

It does seem true that Global TV is the only mainstream TV station featuring hunting (and angling) shows, thus glorifying the hugely immoral killing of animals for entertainment. I consider this mainstream spiritual pollution of our children.

Therefore, I have advised the parents of the young children who do not condone hunting (the vast majority) to exclude Global TV from their allowed-channels list. And I have received feedback that they have themselves switched their news watching to a channel other than Global TV.

This is regrettable, because otherwise Global TV is a quality station, about which Canadians could rightly be proud.

Sincerely.

Anthony Marr, founder and president
Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
www.HOPE-CARE.org 
www.MySpace.com/AnthonyMarr 
www.YouTube.com/AnthonyMarr
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.ARConference.org 
216-386-7362 / 604-222-1169


Reply By Viewer

Dear Anthony:

Thank you for your email and your feedback regarding hunting shows on Global Television. We apologize if you were offended by these types of shows as it certainly is never our intention to offend our viewers.

As responsible broadcasters we are sensitive to the members of our viewing audience, and sincerely apologize if the content of this program has offended you. You can be assured that it was not our intention to do so. As broadcasters, we pride ourselves on airing a wide variety of programs that deliver an equally wide variety of viewpoints.

Notably, under the Canadian Broadcasting Act, all broadcasters are required to provide a broad spectrum of entertainment and information programming for �men, women and children of all ages, interests and tastes�. Television programming is required to be diverse and appealing to a wide range of audiences. As a result, what one viewer might consider an interesting or informative program, might lead another to turn the channel. The Act further requires that the Canadian broadcasting system "provide a reasonable opportunity for the public to be exposed to the expression of differing views on matters of public concern".

Canada in the Rough (for example) has been rated �PG�. Programming with this classification may contain themes which might not be suitable for viewers under the age of 8. As well, parents should be aware that there might be elements, such as limited sexual reference or content, which some could consider inappropriate for unsupervised viewing by children in the 8-13 age range. Please note that this rating does not restrict the broadcaster from airing the program prior to the �watershed hour� which is 9:00pm to 6:00am and usually reserved for adult content.

Global Television adheres all guidelines including the television rating system created by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and the Action Group on Violence on Television (AGVOT). This public rating system is intended to advise viewers of a program�s content in order to allow you, the viewer to determine a program�s suitability for your own viewing needs and desires. As required, an on-screen key airs for the first fifteen seconds of the program and a matching V-Chip data is encoded into our transmission for the entire duration of the program.

We also air the following disclaimer with this program (coming out of all commercial breaks) so that viewers can make an informed decision whether they wish to watch the program or not:

�The following program contains scenes that may not be suitable for children. Viewer discretion is advised.�

Hunting in Canada is a highly regulated activity, with seasons and harvest quota carefully monitored by biologists, outdoor groups, bureaucrats and politicians. Every province and territory in Canada provides access to resident and non resident Canadians for the purposes of hunting and has done so since the creation of Canada .

Approximately 1.5 million Canadian men and women are licensed to hunt in Canada . The economic impact of the activity of hunting reaches into the hundreds of millions of dollars most of which goes into the economy of rural Canada where it fuels local needs. Much of the funding through hunting license sales goes directly into conservation management programs, and habitat improvement to enhance wildlife viewing opportunities for all Canadians. Research has proven that the vast majorities of Canadians supports the notion of hunting and accept its role in wildlife management and consumptive use of a natural and renewable resource.

We acknowledge that as a special interest show, not all viewers will want to watch this specific show, as not all viewers will want to watch a show about gardening or auto racing, but the overall level of positive e mails that the show's producer's receive and the viewership numbers the show is consistently garnering indicate that the vast majority of viewers tuning into shows such as Canada In The Rough are comfortable with the genre and the handling of the subject of hunting.

Thanks again for your email.

Sincerely,

~ Viewer Contact

Global Television and E!


Response By Anthony Marr

Dear Global TV,

Thank you for your long and detailed explanation as to why your hunting shows must go on. You are approximately correct that about 1.5 million Canadians hunt. This is consistent with the generally valid ratio of 5% of Canadians and Americans being hunters. This, however also means that 95% of Canadians and Americans do not hunt, the majority of whom do take offense to the said hunting shows.

There are other mainstream stations which do not find it necessary as Global does to show real bloodshed and basically snuff-programs unashamedly to the by-and-large kind-hearted and animal-loving public. Agreeing to disagree with you, therefore, I will continue to persuade my audiences to shun any TV station deriving popularity from catering to those who "kill for fun" - as our children so rightly label them.

Sincerely,

Anthony Marr, founder and president
Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
www.HOPE-CARE.org 
www.MySpace.com/AnthonyMarr 
www.YouTube.com/AnthonyMarr
www.HomoSapiensSaveYourEarth.blogspot.com
www.ARConference.org 
216-386-7362 / 604-222-1169

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