Ask the New York Times to Reject SeaWorld Propaganda
- by: Judith B.
- recipient: Dean Baquet, Managing Editor of the New York Times
The documentary Blackfish brought home to a wide audience, perhaps the widest ever, just what captivity means for orcas. In response, big acts such as Willie Nelson, the Barenaked Ladies and Heart cancelled appearances at the notorious SeaWorld.
Tickets sales for the water circus are unsurprisingly dropping, and SeaWorld is not amused. Rather than go on air to defend itself, the corporation has decided the cleverest thing to do is take out massive adverts filled with unsubstantiated claims in America’s major newspapers, including the New York Times.
SeaWorld could release or retire its cetaceans and use its facilities to become one of the best marine animal rehabilitation centers in the world. Instead, SeaWorld’s pretending there was never anything wrong with the brutal exploitation of orcas in the first place, and making a desperate attempt to convince an ever-more cynical American public.
This is pathetic, but not something any reputable media outlet should allow or encourage.
Ask the New York Times to refuse to accept any more propaganda from Sea World Parks.
We the undersigned respectfully ask that you accept no more paid-for “open-letters” from Sea World Parks, which are a rather desperate way for the corporation to try and defend its practices without the inconvenience of questions from a journalist or expert.
It seems these adverts are nothing more than propaganda to excuse cruelty, and not something any reputable newspaper should be spreading. Allowing the corporation to use your newspaper in this fashion doesn’t do your own reputation much good.
If SeaWorld really has a case to make, which seems unlikely given the amount of research put into the documentary – Blackfish -that’s it’s attacking, it could take the honest route of sending a representative to be interviewed on air, something the corporation has refused.
Instead, it seems to think the American public is gullible enough to believe obvious propaganda. While SeaWorld is free to view us however it likes, we do not believe that newspapers of your caliber should be assisting it in spreading misinformation.
Please refuse to take any more such “open letters” unless accompanied by a point-for-point response from a genuine expert in the field and another from the makers of Blackfish.
Thank you for your attention.
