August 8, 2007

TO: Kathleen Deveney - Asst. Managing Editor, Newsweek; Jon Meacham, Editor, Newsweek

CC:Mainstream Media outlets, BlogHer.org, the entire Blogosphere

FR: ExpectingExecutive

RE: Newsweek, August 13, 2007, Volume CL, No. 7. Pages 44, 45. Family: Yummy vs. Slummy

Dear Ms. Deveney and Mr Meacham,

As you are well aware, it has been a news filled few weeks. I have to say that I continue to be disappointed with the ever increasing use of sensationalism in the news media. An attribute once reserved to pepper Hollywood related reporting now saturates every aspect of mainstream media news and it is really unnecessary. The coverage of the Minneapolis bridge collapse, the Sunday debates and now the men trapped in the Utah mine has been no exception. However, it is Newsweek that has forced it's way past the generous boundaries of my tolerance with the media.

I am, for the record, furious!

The August 13, 2007 Newsweek squandered two entire pages...pages 44 & 45...when you allowed Kathleen Deveny (with Julie Scelfo) to publish an article that might have easily been confused with a run of the mill mother-hack rant found on the general blogosphere, NOT in Newsweek. Shame, shame, shame on you!!!

Ms. Deveney, may I call you Kathleen? Kathleen, I would like to know I what I have done to you to deserve your broadly brushed personal criticism? Are circulation numbers so high at Newsweek that Jon Meacham has given you the green light to to alienate your current and future intelligent maternal readers by referring to me, and others, as narcissistic mommies?

Do you really want to know why YOU think I am a "narcissistic mommy"? HEY LADY - IT'S BECAUSE I READ NEWSWEEK. I read and absorb all of the fear based reports and studies and surveys and expert opinions that mainstream media - LIKE NEWSWEEK - continues to publish insisting that I, the narcissistic mommy, must read so that I may adequately protect, feed, nurture, medicate, educate and provide for my child! I read your "newsmagazine" and then you offend me for intellectualizing what I read. Come off it.

If I sound mad - good - I am. I am truly tired of shiftless journalists. I am "fed up" with lazy copy editors. Am I to quietly accept being overlooked, offended and used by mainstream media while Kathleen gets two full pages to have a bizarre pity party about the very subjects she insists on promoting?

I, too, know all about this trumped up mommy war. But, let me let you in on a little secret sister. Don't tell anyone you heard it from me but, there is no mommy war! The media continues to abuse this destructive, abused and played out phrase. Is it just my imagination or is this invisible mommy war the media's favorite topic on slow news days? Give it a rest already. The media loves to create and cover a good cat fight...just look at The View. Please, please, please stop using the "mommy wars" to make a mockery of women.

Raise the standard, I dare you!

On that note, Kathleen, I have to ask you, what has happened to your writing? What is the root cause of your transformation from intelligent business writer to authoring today's published article titled Yummy vs. Slummy? Why have you abandoned your writing talents and replaced your once thoughtful and provocative articles with boring, unhelpful and banal content? And, why on earth are you taking Julie down this mindless journalistic path with you?

Do you honestly believe that I am the slightest bit interested in Brittany, Paris, Nicole or Lindsay? Do you really think that the your media obsession with these young women is more important to me than my concern about the sharply rising costs of sending my kids to college? To borrow your phrase, "I am bored to death with talking, hearing and reading about" twenty-something Hollywood creations and their train wreck lives that have been fabricated and financed by mainstream media. I don't know these girls you continue to insist that I should. Their girls and their lives make no sense to me. Besides, I don't have time in my narcissistic mommy day to think about them. According to your article, I am much too busy bothering you by talking to my narcissistic mommy friends about how to balance life and work.

Kathleen, if you are so terribly bored with all of the snotty mommy messages, mommy blogs and mommy-lit why would you submit enough words to cover two entire Newsweek pages to review yet another insipid mommy book? If you are so unimpressed with the headline: LAID-BACK MOTHERS GAINING GROUND ON THE PERFECT MOM...what editorial criterion leads you to believe that YUMMY VS. SLUMMY is setting a higher standard?

If you don't like what you read, don't give it any more undeserved attention in NEWSWEEK! Are you new to this whole media thing? Geesh?!?! Or maybe, maybe, you are writing out of both sides of your mouth?

What really disappoints me is that there are so many important things that you could have discussed using the precious ink on pages 44 & 45. Things that I deserve to have you properly investigate, report and discuss. You really blew it this week. I'd like to remind you that your position, resources and media access affords you enviable opportunities and the inherent responsibility to make real differeneces with your writing. Maybe it is time to look in the mirror and resolve to get out of your own narcissistic managing editor way and do some good.

But, I have to warn you, if you want to stick with this "Hollywood low hanging fruit news shtick" thing you've got going - I might suggest heading over to Harvey Levin's place and see if he needs another qualified staff writer. You may fit in a little better.

While you are mulling over your career possibilities, I have a few personally important subject suggestions for upcoming Newsweek Family articles. I am offering you the opportunity to make this right:

Postpartum Depression: It is not a "boring" mommy topic. PPD is horrible. PPD has the ability to wrap it's ugly tentacles around new mothers and inflict tremendous hurt and pain to new mothers and their entire family. PPD knows no color, culture or economic status. PPD does not care if it's next victim is a Newsweek reader . But, lawmakers in Washington, DC may read Newsweek and voters may read Newsweek. Currently, our lawmakers are butchering some important PPD legislation that would actually improve the lives of women. How about you get working on a well written article about the potential legislative disaster threatening the postpartum depression bill? This narcissistic mother would really appreciate it if you would pay some well written attention to this issue.

Childcare: What about an article covering what happened to all of these "modern feminists in the 60's" who "prized their professional roles at the expense of family" when they were singled out and collectively spurned by President Nixon when he vetoed the Comprehensive Child Development Act? This was important legislation passed by Congress in 1971. This critical legislation would have resulted in child care being made available to all children and was flatly denied to working women by President Nixon. That's not boring. Why don't you find a study to publish or write a fear based article to enlighten our lawmakers about the financial and mental impact that veto had on "those feminists"? Why don't you document the impact of that veto and lack of congressional follow-up that continues to have on today's working families? Or, as your article suggests, should we just get over it?

Healthcare: How about healthcare? Please don't tell me that you are also "bored to death" with the healthcare crisis that is affecting the health and well-being of so many mothers and children in this country. But wait - Strike that - Bad idea! Even if it didn't bore you, I wouldn't want Newsweek to risk to lose any advertising revenue if you were to call healthcare industry leaders a few of the nasty names you so recklessly threw at me. Tell me Kathleen, why is it that you feel entitled to call me a narcissistic mommy because I worry about the health of my child and the potential impact of the uninsured ill children that may attend his school with him. Healthcare is a universal problem. Write about it.

Am I done? Not quite. You, all of you that worked on this Newsweek article, really have some nerve. I am positive that you, as a whole, have irritated, angered, offended, bewildered, insulted and alienated some remarkable women who share their messages, visions, experiences, hopes and passions using on-line forums, blogs, social networks and websites. You need not search far to find truly exceptional women bloggers. Bloggers whose writing far surpasses your mediocre literary standard. These are women with visions, projects and causes that would benefit enormously with the mere mention of their blog or name in your article. You provide MILFs with the free press instead? Come on!

Of the 50 million blogs out there you, you found Yummy Mummies but could not find www.BlogHer.org and source some women bloggers worthy of your mention? Women who rightly boast impressive educational, professional and life experience. Women who have tirelessly devoted time, money, and passion to develop and promote amazing and relevant blogs.

Here is one more dare - I double dog dare you to answer Joanne Bamberger's (PunditMom) blog post MSM Not Interested in BlogHer? How about you and Julie take some time to explain to PunditMom why neither of you, or anyone from Newsweek, covered last week's BlogHer Conference in Chicago as a mainstream media representative? Where was the media when 800+ blogging women gathered for three days to discuss local, national and worldwide concerns and issues? Aren't you interested to know that these amazing women are organized and working together to develop strategies to harness and engage their collective influence? Isn't that worth your attention?

Please take some time over the next few days and browse around www.BlogHer.org, the community for women who blog. I would also suggest that you may want to reach out to the three www.BlogHer.org co-founders; Lisa Stone, Elisa Camahort and Jory Des Jardins. Maybe they will grant you an interview! I am sure they would love to share a few of the BlogHer initiatives with Newsweek readers. It also might be a nice touch if you would ask Kristin Darguzasfor a media kit and do a little advertising. Then, I may forgive you.

Quite sincerely,

ExpectingExecutive

www.expectingexecutive.com
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