Posted on 10/18/2004 6:43:41 AM PDT by Kerfuffle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 16, 2004
CONTROVERSIAL MAGAZINE WITH CRITICAL SATIRE OF BUSH ADMINISTRATION GETS RESCUED BY THOUSANDS OF LIBRARIANS WHO "BOMBARD" PRINTING COMPANY TRYING TO RENEG ON PRINT AGREEMENT WITH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PENDING
In an episode reminiscent of the attempted destruction of Michael Moore's "Stupid White Men" by publisher HarperCollins, the Vice President of a midwest printing company recently notified the publisher of RAVEN Magazine, a controversial humor magazine for men, that he refused to print it due to content he alleged was "slanderous" and contained "reverse-racism".
"It was shocking" said RAVEN Magazine publisher Zane Valenti, "because I thoroughly explained the magazine's tone and type of content to the Vice President months ago before accepting the print bid, and did so to avoid exactly this problem. I had warned her that the humor was very irreverent and often critical of the current White House administration. She assured me on each point that there would be no problem."
The owners of BrioPrint of Minnesota took issue with a satirical cartoon showing Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld in Nazi uniforms, a comic strip depicting the Bush administration as racists on a southern plantation using Colin Powell in slave's clothing as a mouthpiece to deceive the UN into supporting Bush's invasion of Iraq, and a parody of Mel Gibson's ideas for new movies that reinforce negative stereotypes like those of the Jews in his "Passion of the Christ".
"The problem is that press time with printers needs to be reserved weeks in advance" said Valenti. "To search for a new printer from scratch meant that the magazine issue wouldn't be released until well after the Presidential election, hurting the relevancy of much of the content. We explained to the printer that they didn't have a legal right to refuse the job now and the owner said he'd give us the outcome of his reconsideration in three days."
Similar to the campaign that saved Moore's "Stupid White Men" book which went on to make its publisher millions of dollars, thousands of librarians from across the U.S. came to the rescue as they shared the story of RAVEN Magazine and the conservative printer through internet list servers and bulletin boards.
"Starting the very first day, we were BOMBARDED with phone calls, non-stop from upset librarians. It was so disruptive my staff couldn't get anything else done", said BrioPrint owner John Marino. His company also received thousands of emails and faxes urging him to honor his company's printing agreement with RAVEN and to uphold the spirit of the First Amendment.
One of the thousands of librarians who took up arms on the magazine's behalf is Susan Rohrbough, Head of the Information Center for Ohio University Libraries. "It annoys me that again and again we must keep defending our rights" said Rohrbough. "I don't know whether some people really want a repressed society or are just ignorant of the consequences of silencing opposing voices. Do they think that they honestly have a right to silence opposing viewpoints? This is the USA, not a third world country for crying out loud".
By only the second day, staff at BrioPrint were telling the upset callers that they would print the magazine after all, but the calls kept flooding in as the news went via the internet from the California Library Association on to the 10,000 member American Library Association.
"We were totally blown away by the commitment of these librarians and how strongly they felt", said publisher Valenti, "and we're grateful for their help. I guess one lesson here is that if you take freedom of the press lightly, don't let the librarians find that out".
According to the publisher, RAVEN Magazine is not available in stores because the content has proven too controversial for newsstand distribution companies and some retailers, and can only be received via mail by ordering it on the magazine's website. The controversial RAVEN Magazine issue that was at the center of the dispute can still be ordered now at www.RAVENMAGAZINE.com Contact information for the magazine and its publisher can be found there also.
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Wouldn't you just LOVE to hear Laura Bush on this? As a former librarian I expect she'd have a point of view:)
Since Susan Rohrbough of Ohio is so interested in the free press perhaps we should start a magazine with her her as the target. Slander isn't slander to these people.
I'm a library guy.
I like the library, better than most places, and have checked libraries out before choosing where to buy a house.
My overdue fines alone have paid for new carpeting in several public libraries around the country.
But this doesn't help me want to vote $ to help out financially strapped libray systems.
IMO, it's now too late for any type of media, print or
video, to influence voters' minds. Kerry's scare tactics
aren't working, and I don't anticipate any documentary aired within hours of Nov. 2 to alter peoples' opinions either. The only thing left is to finagle with the voting booth equipment and ballot boxes.
"We explained to the printer that they didn't have a legal right to refuse the job now"
Doesn't have the right to refuse it?
Since when?
Wonder where she stands on the Sinclair "Stolen Honor" issue?
Since they signed a contract to do so?
As one who buys library books by the hundreds at throw-away prices, I want to thank you for your private largesse (fines) and commend you for your enlightened views on the fiscal idiocy and book selection policies of many public libraries. For my money, stock the public shelves with books of merit that advance knowledge - not the latest editions of Hustler and PC comix. If people want the latest dreck, let them go to a bookseller.
Doesn't Freedom of the Press also mean Freedom not to publish?
Sounds like the printer has a contract he is willing to violate. If he fells that strongly, good for him.
Raven magazine = SMUT
contact info:
http://www.brioconnect.com/contactus.asp
"It was shocking" said RAVEN Magazine publisher Zane Valenti, "because I thoroughly explained the magazine's tone and type of content to the Vice President months ago before accepting the print bid, and did so to avoid exactly this problem. I had warned her that the humor was very irreverent and often critical of the current White House administration. She assured me on each point that there would be no problem."
But since she obviously breached the terms of the contract, they DO have a legal standing, in refusing to print it.
Conservatives being censored, no problem, Bush in a Nazi uniform (probably in the library windows)no problem, especially since it's designed to effect an election.
We are losing our country little by little. The left will rejoice when we just throw in the towel and surrender to the UN.
I think this magazine wants to build its circulation among disaffected leftists. I suspect they had an arrangement with the publisher from the get-go.
-ccm
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