In January 2002, the Mainstream Media
Project launched a Space Weapons Program with
two primary objectives:
- to facilitate enhanced communications
and networking between NGOs in this country and around
the world working on the issue of space weaponization
and to serve as a shared resource for information and
public outreach for the space sanctuary movement, and
- to place authoritative experts and activists
seeking to preserve space for peaceful purposes on interview
programs in the mainstream broadcast media at home and
abroad
In these ways, the Space Weapons Program
sought to raise public awareness and spark debate on the
Bush Administration's drive to deploy a missile defense
system with a space-based layer by 2004 and to deploy other
kinds of space weapons.
The MMP Space Weapons Program created
a global
directory of information about those NGOs and experts
working to prevent the weaponization of space. We worked
to facilitate communication both among NGOs and experts,
and with the media.
By providing these informational and networking
services, our Program sought to play a vital catalyzing
role to increase the impact and effectiveness of everyone's
work. We responded to breaking news stories related to the
weaponization of space by notifying our Guests on Call
radio outreach team of key opportunities, helping them frame
appropriate media alerts in response, and recommending guests
for interviews.
We coordinated this media outreach with
communications staff at major NGOs working on these issues
as well as other media organizations to achieve the greatest
impact for the least expense and to "echo" messages
and coverage of events in diverse media.
The MMP Space Weapons Program
was made possible with generous support from the Ploughshares
Fund, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,
the W. Alton Jones Foundation, and the Samuel Rubin Foundation.
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