[arrl-odv:31659] AP Wire Story On Extremists Using Ham Radio
Dear ODV Members: Since the riot last week at the U.S. Capitol, members of the Public Relations Committee (PRC) have stepped up their monitoring of stories about the insurrection which make reference to Amateur or Ham Radio. Today around 2:00 PM Eastern time, the Associated Press released a story nationwide from its Boise, Idaho bureau entitled, "Mix Of Extremists Who Stormed Capitol Isn't Retreating". https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-race-and-ethnicity-ap- top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-80e309418abecd0b1d50ec4762e6d9c6 As the headline suggests, the article is about the resiliency and determination of those who wish to pursue an action against the government. Paragraph 20 of the 29 paragraph story contains the following: "As those groups continue to train and expand -- many already offer instruction in weapons, first aid, food storage and ham radios -- the risk of 'lone wolf' actions also increases, she said, with members taking matters into their own hands when they feel their group has not gone far enough", quoting Lindsay Schubiner, an expert in extremism with the Western States Center." https://www.westernstatescenter.org/media-1 Earlier discussion this week on ODV showed some board members expressing an opinion that conflating those who incited the riot with the prepper movement's use of Amateur Radio was natural, and that the better strategy would be to ignore the comparison. PRC members are increasingly concerned that a national wire service story is now quoting an extremist expert who is using the term "ham radio" as a universal term for two-way radio communications. Moreover, PRC members believe more media outlets will use the term "ham radio" erroneously in the next week leading up to Inauguration Day next Wednesday where protests are called for in Washington and all 50 state capitals. To protect ARRL's image and its brand, the PRC believes that it should counter misleading reports by alerting both journalists who use the term "ham radio" either mistakenly, or as a blanket term for all two-way radio communications, and quoted subject matter experts. To that end, a draft release is attached for consideration for use. The PRC is seeking guidance whether to use this release in a defensive role, such as with the reporters and the quoted expert in this story, or continue to ignore extremist group related stories containing citations about "ham radio". 73 de Bill Morine, N2COP Vice Director - Roanoke Division Representing ARRL members in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia www.arrl-roanoke.org Facebook Page: ARRL Roanoke Division ARRL - The National Association for Amateur Radio
As a back row participant, I have to support VD Morine and the committee's opinion on this. I think it is better to be proactive in this case than reactive after the fact. Mark, HDX On Wed, Jan 13, 2021 at 6:44 PM <n2cop@ec.rr.com> wrote:
Dear ODV Members:
Since the riot last week at the U.S. Capitol, members of the Public Relations Committee (PRC) have stepped up their monitoring of stories about the insurrection which make reference to Amateur or Ham Radio. Today around 2:00 PM Eastern time, the Associated Press released a story nationwide from its Boise, Idaho bureau entitled, "Mix Of Extremists Who Stormed Capitol Isn't Retreating".
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-race-and-ethnicity-ap- top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-80e309418abecd0b1d50ec4762e6d9c6 <https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-race-and-ethnicity-ap-top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-80e309418abecd0b1d50ec4762e6d9c6>
As the headline suggests, the article is about the resiliency and determination of those who wish to pursue an action against the government. Paragraph 20 of the 29 paragraph story contains the following: "As those groups continue to train and expand -- many already offer instruction in weapons, first aid, food storage and ham radios -- the risk of 'lone wolf' actions also increases, she said, with members taking matters into their own hands when they feel their group has not gone far enough", quoting Lindsay Schubiner, an expert in extremism with the Western States Center." https://www.westernstatescenter.org/media-1
Earlier discussion this week on ODV showed some board members expressing an opinion that conflating those who incited the riot with the prepper movement's use of Amateur Radio was natural, and that the better strategy would be to ignore the comparison. PRC members are increasingly concerned that a national wire service story is now quoting an extremist expert who is using the term "ham radio" as a universal term for two-way radio communications. Moreover, PRC members believe more media outlets will use the term "ham radio" erroneously in the next week leading up to Inauguration Day next Wednesday where protests are called for in Washington and all 50 state capitals.
To protect ARRL's image and its brand, the PRC believes that it should counter misleading reports by alerting both journalists who use the term "ham radio" either mistakenly, or as a blanket term for all two-way radio communications, and quoted subject matter experts. To that end, a draft release is attached for consideration for use. The PRC is seeking guidance whether to use this release in a defensive role, such as with the reporters and the quoted expert in this story, or continue to ignore extremist group related stories containing citations about "ham radio".
73 de Bill Morine, N2COP Vice Director - Roanoke Division Representing ARRL members in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia www.arrl-roanoke.org Facebook Page: ARRL Roanoke Division ARRL - The National Association for Amateur Radio
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Bill does have a good point, but I'm not sure how we should proceed. I'll give a cautionary tale of what having "ham radio" associated with domestic terrorism can accomplish. On July 27, 1990, a domestic terrorist group called the Jamaat-Al-Muslimeen stormed Parliament in Trinidad and Tobago. They held the country siege for 6 days before giving themselves up to the Army after an amnesty deal had been negotiated. They shot the Prime Minister and several other members of the legislatures. We had 24 hour curfews in some places and martial law. The terrorists had also bombed police HQ and taken over two radio stations and state owned TV. They used CB radios to coordinate their attacks. The result? It is now extremely difficult to get any radio equipment imported into the country except for consumer equipment like cell phones. That extreme may not happen here but it's possible for the FCC to not look favorably on us. The proliferation of Baofeng radios is troubling as these are ham radios. Ria N2RJ On Wed, Jan 13, 2021 at 9:44 PM <n2cop@ec.rr.com> wrote:
Dear ODV Members:
Since the riot last week at the U.S. Capitol, members of the Public Relations Committee (PRC) have stepped up their monitoring of stories about the insurrection which make reference to Amateur or Ham Radio. Today around 2:00 PM Eastern time, the Associated Press released a story nationwide from its Boise, Idaho bureau entitled, "Mix Of Extremists Who Stormed Capitol Isn't Retreating". https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-race-and-ethnicity-ap- top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-80e309418abecd0b1d50ec4762e6d9c6
As the headline suggests, the article is about the resiliency and determination of those who wish to pursue an action against the government. Paragraph 20 of the 29 paragraph story contains the following: "As those groups continue to train and expand -- many already offer instruction in weapons, first aid, food storage and ham radios -- the risk of 'lone wolf' actions also increases, she said, with members taking matters into their own hands when they feel their group has not gone far enough", quoting Lindsay Schubiner, an expert in extremism with the Western States Center." https://www.westernstatescenter.org/media-1
Earlier discussion this week on ODV showed some board members expressing an opinion that conflating those who incited the riot with the prepper movement's use of Amateur Radio was natural, and that the better strategy would be to ignore the comparison. PRC members are increasingly concerned that a national wire service story is now quoting an extremist expert who is using the term "ham radio" as a universal term for two-way radio communications. Moreover, PRC members believe more media outlets will use the term "ham radio" erroneously in the next week leading up to Inauguration Day next Wednesday where protests are called for in Washington and all 50 state capitals.
To protect ARRL's image and its brand, the PRC believes that it should counter misleading reports by alerting both journalists who use the term "ham radio" either mistakenly, or as a blanket term for all two-way radio communications, and quoted subject matter experts. To that end, a draft release is attached for consideration for use. The PRC is seeking guidance whether to use this release in a defensive role, such as with the reporters and the quoted expert in this story, or continue to ignore extremist group related stories containing citations about "ham radio".
73 de Bill Morine, N2COP Vice Director - Roanoke Division Representing ARRL members in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia www.arrl-roanoke.org Facebook Page: ARRL Roanoke Division ARRL - The National Association for Amateur Radio
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Personally, I do understand the potential problem if an issue arises where “ham radio” is referenced, accurately or not. Will a press release preclude such a mention? On the counterpoint, a general press release could be a “hot issue” with certain members - like the 30%+ who still don't believe election results. I see no problems sending the clarification out to media, although I believe that an abbreviated version would be wider read and that we explicitly suggest a better term - does “two-way radio” fit all uses? Do we publish something on the website as well? Finally, with all this distancing/denial effort, can we say with certainty that the reported facts are NOT accurate - that radios that might be found in the backpack or field headquarters of an insurgent group will NOT be ham radio? And will such a threat raise our profile to potential paranoid, reactionary legislators? Mickey On Wed, Jan 13, 2021 at 9:44 PM <n2cop@ec.rr.com> wrote:
Dear ODV Members:
Since the riot last week at the U.S. Capitol, members of the Public Relations Committee (PRC) have stepped up their monitoring of stories about the insurrection which make reference to Amateur or Ham Radio. Today around 2:00 PM Eastern time, the Associated Press released a story nationwide from its Boise, Idaho bureau entitled, "Mix Of Extremists Who Stormed Capitol Isn't Retreating".
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-race-and-ethnicity-ap- top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-80e309418abecd0b1d50ec4762e6d9c6 <https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-race-and-ethnicity-ap-top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-80e309418abecd0b1d50ec4762e6d9c6>
As the headline suggests, the article is about the resiliency and determination of those who wish to pursue an action against the government. Paragraph 20 of the 29 paragraph story contains the following: "As those groups continue to train and expand -- many already offer instruction in weapons, first aid, food storage and ham radios -- the risk of 'lone wolf' actions also increases, she said, with members taking matters into their own hands when they feel their group has not gone far enough", quoting Lindsay Schubiner, an expert in extremism with the Western States Center." https://www.westernstatescenter.org/media-1
Earlier discussion this week on ODV showed some board members expressing an opinion that conflating those who incited the riot with the prepper movement's use of Amateur Radio was natural, and that the better strategy would be to ignore the comparison. PRC members are increasingly concerned that a national wire service story is now quoting an extremist expert who is using the term "ham radio" as a universal term for two-way radio communications. Moreover, PRC members believe more media outlets will use the term "ham radio" erroneously in the next week leading up to Inauguration Day next Wednesday where protests are called for in Washington and all 50 state capitals.
To protect ARRL's image and its brand, the PRC believes that it should counter misleading reports by alerting both journalists who use the term "ham radio" either mistakenly, or as a blanket term for all two-way radio communications, and quoted subject matter experts. To that end, a draft release is attached for consideration for use. The PRC is seeking guidance whether to use this release in a defensive role, such as with the reporters and the quoted expert in this story, or continue to ignore extremist group related stories containing citations about "ham radio".
73 de Bill Morine, N2COP Vice Director - Roanoke Division Representing ARRL members in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia www.arrl-roanoke.org Facebook Page: ARRL Roanoke Division ARRL - The National Association for Amateur Radio
_______________________________________________ arrl-odv mailing list arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv
I agree with Bill. We may want to think about carefully drafting something for unknowing members of the press and take the opportunity to properly educate them about amateur radio and ARRL. We could possibly open new and positive PR doors and get some good exposure to a new segment of the population. 73 David A. Norris, K5UZ Director, Delta Division Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 13, 2021, at 8:44 PM, n2cop@ec.rr.com wrote:
Dear ODV Members:
Since the riot last week at the U.S. Capitol, members of the Public Relations Committee (PRC) have stepped up their monitoring of stories about the insurrection which make reference to Amateur or Ham Radio. Today around 2:00 PM Eastern time, the Associated Press released a story nationwide from its Boise, Idaho bureau entitled, "Mix Of Extremists Who Stormed Capitol Isn't Retreating". https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-race-and-ethnicity-ap- top-news-coronavirus-pandemic-80e309418abecd0b1d50ec4762e6d9c6
As the headline suggests, the article is about the resiliency and determination of those who wish to pursue an action against the government. Paragraph 20 of the 29 paragraph story contains the following: "As those groups continue to train and expand -- many already offer instruction in weapons, first aid, food storage and ham radios -- the risk of 'lone wolf' actions also increases, she said, with members taking matters into their own hands when they feel their group has not gone far enough", quoting Lindsay Schubiner, an expert in extremism with the Western States Center." https://www.westernstatescenter.org/media-1
Earlier discussion this week on ODV showed some board members expressing an opinion that conflating those who incited the riot with the prepper movement's use of Amateur Radio was natural, and that the better strategy would be to ignore the comparison. PRC members are increasingly concerned that a national wire service story is now quoting an extremist expert who is using the term "ham radio" as a universal term for two-way radio communications. Moreover, PRC members believe more media outlets will use the term "ham radio" erroneously in the next week leading up to Inauguration Day next Wednesday where protests are called for in Washington and all 50 state capitals.
To protect ARRL's image and its brand, the PRC believes that it should counter misleading reports by alerting both journalists who use the term "ham radio" either mistakenly, or as a blanket term for all two-way radio communications, and quoted subject matter experts. To that end, a draft release is attached for consideration for use. The PRC is seeking guidance whether to use this release in a defensive role, such as with the reporters and the quoted expert in this story, or continue to ignore extremist group related stories containing citations about "ham radio".
73 de Bill Morine, N2COP Vice Director - Roanoke Division Representing ARRL members in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia www.arrl-roanoke.org Facebook Page: ARRL Roanoke Division ARRL - The National Association for Amateur Radio
<ARRL Ham Radio Clarification Release.docx> _______________________________________________ arrl-odv mailing list arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv
participants (5)
-
David Norris -
Mark J Tharp -
Mickey Baker -
n2cop＠ec.rr.com -
rjairam＠gmail.com