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Washington Post AD Campaign - Proof It Works In Getting Attention and ACTION

muffin

Senior Member
Messages
940
Tina told me about a group that used the Washington Post to highlight the Adult Services section of Craig's List as bringing young women into forced prostitution. Well, it seems that this AD in the Washington Post DID its job and got Congress and others involved. The Adult Section is now shut-down. HERE IS PROOF that using the WASHINGTON POST to get a very critical Advocacy/public health issue out into the public, Congress, journalists, policy makers, etc. does indeed get the attention and action needed. Please join and donate. We see this AD campaign works.

http://www.causes.com/causes/511536

Thanks Tina for telling me about this Craig's list story and the use of the Washington Post to get action. Hugs - S.

*Craigslist Shuts Down Its Adult Services Section*
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article... Collins ContributorAOL News (Sept. 4)

Craigslist, the classified ads website, took down its "adult services" section after criticism that it enabled prostitution.
The adult services section, which previously contained solicitations for sex, has been replaced on the Craigslist homepage with a sign saying "censored."
The section is still open for people browsing the Web from outside the United States, CNN reported

.-->>> Last week, attorneys general in 17 states wrote an open letter to the website's founder Craig Newmark and CEO Jim Buckmaster, urging them to permanently close the section.
"Ads for prostitution -- including ads trafficking children -- are rampant," the letter said, according to CNN.


Craigslist did not immediately respond to e-mails from AOL News seeking comment.
The adult services section has been a huge money-spinner for the classified site, even in a sluggish economy.
According to an April report by media consultancy the AIM Group, Craigslist's adult services section accounts for 30 percent of the site's total revenue -- an estimated $36.6 million in 2010.
The website "turns so much profit that it's a gold mine for its owners," Peter Zollman, founder of the AIM group, said on the company's website.
Still, Craigslist had endured biting criticism for a range of sources for openly advertising sexual services on an easily accessible site that is commonly used to rent out bedrooms and sell old furniture.

-->>>>> The attorneys general highlighted a letter that appeared in the Washington Post in which two girls claimed that they were sold for sex on Craigslist.
Rep. Jackie Speier set up a House Judiciary Committee hearing to look at how websites such as Craigslist are used to "facilitate criminal activity," the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Speier claimed she had met with a minor who was pimped via Craigslist and forced to have sex as many as 10 times a night.
"It's a crime against these young women," Speier said.<<<<-----


Craigslist describes itself as having a "relatively non-commercial nature, public service mission, and non-corporate culture." Still, the company is a for-profit and has fought back against claims that it facilitates exploitation. Founder Craig Newmark highlighted that the site has 50 million users, and that the crime rate was "very low."

"We just don't tolerate (illegal services)," Newmark told True/Slant in April.
Buckmaster, the company's CEO, also wrote a blog posting in which he said he hoped that the people behind the trafficking of the girls mentioned in the Washington Post were "behind bars."
Sympathy for Craigslist regarding the closure of its adult services seems muted. In a comment on an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, one poster dismissed their "self-righteous attitude."
"Whenever somebody dares to question them about anything they do, they get defensive and spout off about how virtuous they are," the commenter wrote. Craigslist "provides thieves and scammers with an online home, and enables a lot of unsavory activities."

->>>These are the important sections on the story below about a group that used the WASHINGTON POST to get Craig's List to shut down their Adult Section. They used an AD in the Washington Post to get attention and it worked. Not only did Congress get involved, but 17 State's Attorney Generals also wrote an open letter to the Craig's list CEO.

What will our AD Campaign do? What sort of attention will our AD bring us? I strongly suspect that when the public sees that a possibly deadly virus has been out in the public and nation's blood supply for 30 years and that damage to all research on Retroviruses was halted in the early 1990's, there will be screaming across Washington and the Nation so loud that the CDC and others involved will be investigated and one of the most massive scandals/cover-ups in the history of the US will be out there in the open.

So, if you want clinical trials, medications, research, funding, trained doctors, people to finally understand that you are indeed very sick - JOIN AND DONATE NOW.

See the story and how the Washington Post AD opened up this prostitution issue and brought in huge amounts of senior attention and action.

ME/CFS Worldwide Patient Alliance
To create a patient-driven effective advertisement campaign on ME / CFS, and XMRV, particularly on patient quality of life.

http://www.causes.com/causes/511536
 

muffin

Senior Member
Messages
940
ME/CFS Worldwide Patient Alliance --- This is the new name that was voted on by the members - now over 900 people strong. Says something, doesn't it?

To create a patient-driven effective advertisement campaign on ME / CFS, and XMRV, particularly on patient quality of life.

http://www.causes.com/causes/511536
 

muffin

Senior Member
Messages
940
I know that I am beating on this drum so hard

But we MUST get our message out into the public domain via the Washington Post since the group that has control over the message wins. We have the data, proof, studies, etc. to back up our claims and requests for more funding, research, etc.

If we do not get this AD in the Washington Post soon, people will not remember anything about those studies or the newspaper articles. We also must explain those newspaper articles and what they mean to every citizen in the US and abroad. None of the info we know and understand is being communicated by the media. They don't understand enough and won't/can't do a real analysis on what it means to have a retrovirus in the nation's blood supply for three decades. They don't understand the damage done after getting a virus (this family) and the miserable lives we lead. None of the critical stuff is being made clear by the media and WE must be the ones to make it "layperson" clear. We must be the ones to get all different groups and individuals involved in this deadly virus and the long time cover-up of this virus and other things.

We have to grab and control the message because the CDC and others are doing major damage control and have been great at damning us sick for 30 years. Please get involved.
 

*GG*

senior member
Messages
6,389
Location
Concord, NH
ME/CFS Worldwide Patient Alliance --- This is the new name that was voted on by the members - now over 900 people strong. Says something, doesn't it?

To create a patient-driven effective advertisement campaign on ME / CFS, and XMRV, particularly on patient quality of life.

http://www.causes.com/causes/511536

To bad we didn't get $10 for each member, we would have all the money we need by now! I know people are destitute with this conditon, so perhaps we need a few more thousand members? How do we achiece this?

GG

PS Yeah, MA had a high profile case with Craigs list killer, the guy recently killed himself in jail. He was a medical student that was supposed to get married!

And now the MA attorney general, is jumping all over Craigs list, she lost a recent election, in my eyes a good thing, to liberal. A lot of this is about politics, which is of course what we want in our case, but in a positive manner to further research and funding!
 

dannybex

Senior Member
Messages
3,561
Location
Seattle
But we MUST get our message out into the public domain via the Washington Post since the group that has control over the message wins. We have the data, proof, studies, etc. to back up our claims and requests for more funding, research, etc.

If we do not get this AD in the Washington Post soon, people will not remember anything about those studies or the newspaper articles. We also must explain those newspaper articles and what they mean to every citizen in the US and abroad. None of the info we know and understand is being communicated by the media. They don't understand enough and won't/can't do a real analysis on what it means to have a retrovirus in the nation's blood supply for three decades. They don't understand the damage done after getting a virus (this family) and the miserable lives we lead. None of the critical stuff is being made clear by the media and WE must be the ones to make it "layperson" clear. We must be the ones to get all different groups and individuals involved in this deadly virus and the long time cover-up of this virus and other things.

We have to grab and control the message because the CDC and others are doing major damage control and have been great at damning us sick for 30 years. Please get involved.

I applaud your efforts Muffin, and would be willing to donate something (even though I can't really afford to), but I think it's really important, critical in fact, that prospective donors/patients see a final draft of the proposed ad. We need to see what exactly what we're being ask to pay for -- you know, like the PANDORA organization's press releases and/or advertisement.

I think you'd get a lot more responses if we could see exactly what the ad will look like.

thanks,

Dan
 

muffin

Senior Member
Messages
940
There are many ways to be a critical part of this campaign that don't involve $$$$

Danny: We know that we must get the ADs out into the public so that people can see what will be said and printed in the Washington Post. I too would not give money without first seeing what was going to be said, except in this case I knew that the people working behind this AD are true professionals. If I did not know this, I would NOT donate either until I saw the Ad.

Soon the website will be up and functioning and we then move off the Facebook Causes page. The logos are being looked at by the members and voting will take place shortly. Then next comes the AD text. I have been told that there will be several sample letters to the Post for the members to read, comment on, vote on, etc. And THAT is when we know the donations will roll in after people and organizations see what will be out there. So, the Team (writers, journalists, Public Relations, Graphics, Lawyer, etc) is working to make sure that the message really hits and grabs the attention of the public and all of Washington's gov't/journalists/policy makers, etc.

Please continue to go to the Causes page and see the updates on progress. People are working very hard behind the scenes to get things in place correctly and to get that all important media AD out for viewing, comments, and voting.

I will keep updating everyone on what is going on and when we make the big move to the website. I will also be obnoxious about when the different ADs come out so that we get maximum input and all of our voices are taken into consideration. We want and must have the very best, most informative, and (just right touch) heavy-hitting AD.

Please provide your input, insights, thoughts and VOTE on logos, AD text, etc. Really, this is our only time to get our message out there as the sick people.

FINALLY: If you can not afford to donate then please do not! We don't want people making sacrifices that will hurt them. There is so much that you can do to help that does NOT involve money. Your involvement and input to this ongoing campaign are super critical too Dan.

I know I used my charity money on this campaign and that's it. I wish I had more to give but I just don't. The majority of us CFS sick are living right up at that edge and it doesn't take much to push us over that edge So, again do not donate if it is a hardship or pushes you too close to that edge. Only donate if you can.

Yet again - Thanks Dan!!! Hugs!
 

BEG

Senior Member
Messages
1,032
Location
Southeast US
ME/CFS Worldwide Patient Alliance --- This is the new name that was voted on by the members - now over 900 people strong. Says something, doesn't it?

To create a patient-driven effective advertisement campaign on ME / CFS, and XMRV, particularly on patient quality of life.

http://www.causes.com/causes/511536



It's so very easy to donate. You do not have to join anything. They will take any amount. A very good cause. Thanks to all who started this.
 

OverTheHills

Senior Member
Messages
465
Location
New Zealand
Hi

Great website but is the donate feature down at the moment? I just get a blank screen come up when I press that button. The logos look good by the way - I like the black and white hand - it looks dramatic and desperate, rather than 'tired'.

OTH
 

muffin

Senior Member
Messages
940
Donations to ME/CFS Worldwide Patient Alliance -

Sorry, the Team knows that the Causes site is not stable. We will be moving to our own website shortly and then that will be stable on not rely on another website.

To donate you can also go to the PANDORA site http://www.pandoranet.info/ and hit the DONATE box on the upper left handside. Please make sure you note that the donation is for the ME/CFS Worldwide Patient Alliance so that donatons go to this major media campaign.
PANDORA has kindly allowed this Campaign to use its infrastructure for donations. In this way those that donate are able to write off their donations on their taxes. Donations made through the PANDORA site are then turned into a grant for the Campaign.

Our website is coming and with it a far more stable and robust system for communicating with eachother, providing your ideas and insights, and of course - donations!
Thank you!!!
 
Messages
85
Location
Farmington, NY
I'm glad to hear of the updates and I'm looking forward to seeing the ad drafts. I made a donation last week and got my dad to donate, too (more than I expected! He can be a tightwad. lol!) So once I have something to show people, I'm sure I can get more of my friends and family to donate.

Thanks Muffin, for all your hard work. I'm praying this campaign will have a huge impact.