On behalf of the League of Independent Ferret Enthusiasts, the following
letter and fax went out to CBS today, in response to the May 31 CBS This
Morning segment on domestic ferrets.
 
June 4, 1995
 
Ingrid Cipriani-Matthes
Senior Producer
CBS This Morning
CBS Broadcast Center
524 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
 
Dear Ms. Cipriani-Matthes:
 
The League of Independent Ferret Enthusiasts, an association of clubs and
rescue shelters representing thousands of domestic ferret owners, considers
the Hattie Kaufman report on domestic  ferrets that aired on your program on
May 31, 1995 to be a gratuitously vicious piece of cheap sensationalism,
riddled with distortions and inaccuracies, and unworthy of any responsible
news organization.
 
Your cynical exploitation of the Bowers child's deformities--with no
reference to the enormous questions the case raises about where the infant's
parents were when the alleged attack took place, why the child is now in the
legal custody of her grandmother, and how many hundreds of thousands of
children are seriously injured by dogs and cats each year, in comparison to
the extremely small number of ferret-related injuries--was particularly
reprehensible.
 
One can only conclude that CBS News, in a desperate quest to shore up its
sagging ratings, has adopted "National Enquirer" and P.T. Barnum as its role
models.  But debasing your journalistic standards will succeed only in
alienating more viewers, further eroding your credibility, and prompting
viewers to turn elsewhere for news--a fact we shall convey directly to the
sponsors.
 
Sincerely,
Howard Davis
Humane Affairs Coordinator
League of Independent Ferret Enthusiasts
[Posted in FML issue 1216]