Tuesday, November 08, 2005
More Help Needed
You may recall from this blog or have otherwise learned about the horrific case of Matthew Mancuso, the Pittsburgh-area man convicted of involving his Russian adoptee daughter in child pornography.
Apparently, the Mancuso story will be the centerpiece of an upcoming segment on ABC's Primetime focusing on international adoption. When a network ratings sweeps period meets up with National Adoption Awareness Month, don't expect to see a fair representation of adoption success stories. Expect to see cases like Mancuso's described as part of an epidemic, growing trend equating international adoption with human trafficking. Warm and fuzzy adoption stories = lower ratings = lower advertising rates for ABC.
For those parents still in the process of or considering international adoption (not just from Russia), it's a long road ahead. An unbalanced report underplaying the overwhelming majority of successful international adoptions could make this road even longer. Reports in the media can become justification for foreign governments to slow down adoptions in process (they certainly didn't make ours go any quicker) or to even consider closing their programs. It would be tragic if an unbalanced news report left hundreds of thousands of orphans stranded waiting for new homes, all in the name of higher ratings.
So what can you do?
First, Mancuso is scheduled for sentencing on November 14. Consider writing to the judge handling the case to encourage imposition of the maximum sentence. At the very least, we need to let the world know that America does not tolerate those who abuse children. This will help to mitigate any damage caused by the Primetime report when it airs.
Hon. Donna Jo McDaniel
Court of Common Pleas
323 Courthouse
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
Re: Sentencing of Matthew Mancuso
Next, write to Primetime (click here) to ensure that their upcoming report presents the state of international adoption in a fair, responsible manner. You never know...maybe their report will wind up being more balanced than what we've heard. After it airs, give them more feedback.
Thanks for your help.
Blogger's Disclosure: The blogger is a shareholder of The Walt Disney Company, of which ABC is a subsidiary. ¶ 5:04 PM
Apparently, the Mancuso story will be the centerpiece of an upcoming segment on ABC's Primetime focusing on international adoption. When a network ratings sweeps period meets up with National Adoption Awareness Month, don't expect to see a fair representation of adoption success stories. Expect to see cases like Mancuso's described as part of an epidemic, growing trend equating international adoption with human trafficking. Warm and fuzzy adoption stories = lower ratings = lower advertising rates for ABC.
For those parents still in the process of or considering international adoption (not just from Russia), it's a long road ahead. An unbalanced report underplaying the overwhelming majority of successful international adoptions could make this road even longer. Reports in the media can become justification for foreign governments to slow down adoptions in process (they certainly didn't make ours go any quicker) or to even consider closing their programs. It would be tragic if an unbalanced news report left hundreds of thousands of orphans stranded waiting for new homes, all in the name of higher ratings.
So what can you do?
First, Mancuso is scheduled for sentencing on November 14. Consider writing to the judge handling the case to encourage imposition of the maximum sentence. At the very least, we need to let the world know that America does not tolerate those who abuse children. This will help to mitigate any damage caused by the Primetime report when it airs.
Hon. Donna Jo McDaniel
Court of Common Pleas
323 Courthouse
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
Re: Sentencing of Matthew Mancuso
Next, write to Primetime (click here) to ensure that their upcoming report presents the state of international adoption in a fair, responsible manner. You never know...maybe their report will wind up being more balanced than what we've heard. After it airs, give them more feedback.
Thanks for your help.
Blogger's Disclosure: The blogger is a shareholder of The Walt Disney Company, of which ABC is a subsidiary. ¶ 5:04 PM
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