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CNN Talkback Live

America Speaks Out: Can Hollywood Help in the Fight Against Terror?

Aired November 08, 2001 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOIE CHEN, HOST: Calling on Hollywood's finest in the war on terrorism. Should the country's image makers be drafted?

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a country that invented Madison Avenue and Hollywood. And if we can't market our own virtues throughout the world, then we are pretty poor.

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CHEN: Does America really need to sell itself overseas?

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the audience we have to target. And we have to succeed.

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CHEN: Can ad execs and studio moguls make America a star?

And it's not Hollywood, it's a real live audience here at the TALKBACK LIVE set today. Good afternoon, welcome to TALKBACK LIVE: "America Speaks Out." I'm Joie Chen. Thanks for being with us this afternoon.

Does America have an image problem? And can Hollywood step in to solve it?

Hollywood executives will be meeting with presidential adviser Karl Rove just this weekend. On that Beverly Hills table, an agenda for the entertainment industry to try to help out in the war effort.

Here to talk about the Hollywood front: Bryce Zabel, chairman and CEO of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He will be one of those attending this Sunday's meeting.

Also with us today: Todd Boyd, professor of critical studies at the University of Southern California School of Cinema and Television, and Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

Gentlemen, we thank you all for beings with us.

Bryce, I want to talk to you right up front. I know this is sort of a follow-up to a meeting that took place a few weeks back. I'm wondering, in that first meeting, what message did you get from the White House? Was it, "We want you to help us craft something for domestic consumption, overseas consumption", what?

BRYCE ZABEL, ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES: The first meeting, honestly, was a very preliminary meeting. They called it a foundational meeting.

And that's about all it was. You had two people from different cultures, really, the culture of government and the culture of entertainment, talking to each other across the table and trying to find out what we can do together to help improve our situation here and around the world. But, no real specifics were laid out at that meeting.

CHEN: You know, you say that these are two different cultures coming to a meeting, a first meeting of sorts. But, Professor, as it turns out, Hollywood actually has played a role in the past in previous conflicts helping to get out certain images.

TODD BOYD, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Well, certainly, during World War II, Hollywood was very instrumental in promoting the war effort, particularly at home.

But we are talking about a time when most people got their news via the newspaper and Hollywood was sort of a supplement. This is before television was ubiquitous in the American home. And now with, you know, networks like CNN and other cable networks that offer around-the-clock coverage on what's going on, I think Hollywood is much less important in this regard than might have been the case back during World War II.

CHEN: Salam, do you think that Hollywood does have a role to play, a positive role to play?

SALAM AL-MARAYATI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL: Absolutely, because American movies are enjoyed throughout the world as they are enjoyed here. People pay attention to them. And the image-making arena is very important in the way America's image is also projected throughout the world.

Hollywood was also instrumental in dealing with the Vietnam War and ending the war there. So I think in all social causes, in terms of dealing with America's image abroad, Hollywood is going to play a very critical role.

CHEN: Yes, Bryce, what kind of role would you envision? What suggestions would Hollywood have to offer the White House, I mean, in this upcoming meeting?

ZABEL: Well, I agree that if you talk about communicating with the American public, that may not be our role. The American public is the most communicated with population in world history. I think the growth industry, in putting a message out about America, is communicating overseas with the billion or more people who see the 9/11 attacks as a good thing, possibly, and people who need to hear America's message and aren't hearing it right now. That's where we need to put our efforts, in my view.

CHEN: Interesting point, Salam, in the Islamic world, there is already some question about what sort of message is coming from the United States. Is the entertainment industry the way to reach the world on this?

AL-MARAYATI: I think it's one important area. And I think what is very wise of this administration -- I think the Bush presidency is doing something very effective and very ingenious, in fact. It is creating a different plane in the war on terrorism, whereas before, you had the military plane and the intelligence plane. Now we are creating the media plane and the social plane. And in terms of talking between the American people and the Muslim world, I think dealing with the peoples' concerns there is very important.

I want to disagree with one point that Bryce had mentioned. I don't think the message should go out to the terrorists. I think the message should go out to the masses of the Muslim world, who may have their sentiments exploited by the extremists. And the extremists are trying to isolate America. I think this program is designed to really isolate the extremists. And if we can develop a complex, very sophisticated message to the people, and not the oversimplified message in the past, I think it can be effective.

CHEN: Well, let's see what the White House is trying to do, what the administration is trying to do.

A perspective from the White House this afternoon -- with us is CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace. Thanks for being around for us today.

Kelly, what is the White House's expectation? Have they made it clear?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're sort of going into this, Joie, open minded, trying to see exactly what will come out of this meeting. It's very interesting though because the Bush administration hasn't had the most intimate relationship with Hollywood. We have seen...

CHEN: It's not like the Clinton administration, right.

WALLACE: ... having much closer relations with Hollywood executives. But the White House saying that there is an opportunity really for the entertainment industry to help with its communication strategy.

Just picking up what you and your guests were talking about, the White House has been very concerned about getting its message out, particularly to Arabs and Muslims. Administration officials definitely feeling they have fallen behind in the so-called information war.

So they have stepped up a strategy. They've opened up a so- called war room here at the White House linked to offices in London and Islamabad. And now you are seeing this other step. Again, maybe you could have public service announcements, developed by the entertainment industry. Maybe you could have prominent Arab and Muslim celebrities appearing in short pieces that would be seen around the world.

What is most interesting, you could say, is when it comes to the actual content in movies. Is the White House trying to influence the content, wanting movies to be made that are very positive about America, positive about when it comes to this campaign against Afghanistan? Administration officials are saying, "Look, let's let the meeting take place and see what comes out of it." But clearly, they do want and they are going to press Hollywood to act in a responsible way in the future when it comes to dealing with these issues in movies and television, Joie.

CHEN: And, Kelly, in addition and one other thing you didn't mention, the administration has sort of brought on board an entertainment czar -- or czarina -- I don't know what they're calling her exactly. But she's certainly somebody who has a lot of experience in the advertising industry.

WALLACE: Absolutely. You are referring to Charlotte Beers, who has tremendous experience on Madison Avenue. She's now over at the State Department, basically, in charge of public diplomacy.

Her responsibility, really, putting together the resources to develop a television, radio, advertising campaign, again, to get the message out that this is not a campaign against the people of Afghanistan, not a campaign against Islam, but a campaign against terrorists and those who harbor them.

Administration officials admitting they have a lot of work to do, but they are moving in this direction, as you noted, hiring an executive such as Char Beers, hiring -- looking at the entertainment industry and, again, trying to move more quickly to counter anything that's coming from the Taliban and Osama bin Laden -- Joie.

CHEN: Kelly Wallace for us at the White House, thanks very much.

I want to read you guys a couple of e-mails that we have been getting here.

This one is from Joe in New Jersey: Hollywood plays a big role in our emotions and Hollywood can change my mood in minutes -- no kidding, Joe -- I hope the White House has Hollywood make us cheerful again because I, for one, need it.

That raises an interesting point for Bryce. I just want to also get in here this one from Greg in Coleman, Alabama: Hollywood is there to entertain us and should stay out of political business. I really don't see how Hollywood can help us in this matter. Our elected and appointed officials have the experience that is required to get the job done.

On the other hand, they are the ones asking for the help on that.

Bryce, I want to get to Joe's point. Is the job here for Hollywood to just make people feel good again at a time when we have felt so bad about so many things?

ZABEL: I'm not sure what our job is, but I never heard anyone from the administration talking about censorship. I don't think people are trying to tell us what to say. I think Hollywood will naturally and organically do a number of these things on their own.

For example, you probably know I have been involved in getting the Emmy awards finally on, after a couple of postponements, and no one from Washington called us to say, why don't you open up the Emmy awards with "God Bless America" or the American flag. We just did that on our own because we felt that was appropriate.

So, I think there will be a lot of decisions about what is in Hollywood's content that is made by Hollywood and does not have to be dictated. And I just want to make one thing clear: I'm not suggesting -- I'm agreeing with Salam. What we need on do direct these messages worldwide to the people who are being manipulated and some of the people who feel, for example, that the United States might have actually manufactured this horrific attack so that we could pick a fight with the Islamic world.

I think that kind of stuff is damaging if it stays out there uncontested and we need to aggressively counter it, and I think everyone in Hollywood who I work with would probably support that concept.

CHEN: Couple of comments from out here in our from the TALKBACK LIVE set, David has been very interested in this notion of Hollywood's involvement.

DAVID: I have done several studies on how different areas of the mass media have tried to influence public opinion. I think the great irony here is going to be that the American people are going to be more influenced by what Hollywood does than the Afghani people, for one thing.

And for another thing, I think that Hollywood has been involved in this since the beginning. They are already involved. They have canceled certain movies they thought would be offensive to the American public since the 9-11 attacks and many Hollywood celebrities have been involved in raising money and already George Clooney and Mr. O'Reilly are involved in this fight about whether the money is going where it's supposed to go and I think that's become an issue already in all of this.

CHEN: I want to hear from both Bryce and Salam on that. First, on that notion of where the influence of Hollywood really could be.

Salam, I'm wondering if the concern in the Islamic world is in part the salaciousness of U.S. culture, is it really appropriate to take U.S. celebrities over and show them, as the voice of America in the Arabic world? Maybe the thing to do is to tell Hollywood, put some clothes on J.Lo or something.

AL-MARAYATI: That's an interesting point because I think people are intelligent no matter, whether you are talking about people in the Muslim world or people in our American society, be they Muslim, Christian or Jew.

And they can see through a number of these kind of tactics. I think the issue is dealing with America's image. I don't think people in the Muslim world are manipulated by anything, but there's a vacuum of information, definitely. And we can help in filling that vacuum by providing constructive information. And one thing that Hollywood should be advised: No. 1, the First Amendment is not just the separation of church and state, but also calls for the separation of media and the state. Free speech means that the media should be independent from being a propaganda tool for the state.

Having said that, there is irresponsible media and there is responsible media. And I think what we are saying is we hope the media can be more responsible because in the past, I'd have to admit, Hollywood has been oversimplifying the message because it has been a message of the bad Muslim and the more that message has been repeated, the more Muslims resent...

CHEN: And our audience here has agreed with you on that, right audience?

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CHEN: OK, take a break here. We want to hear more from you guys as well as those of you in the audience. We will be right back.

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CHEN: Last week, L.A. City councilman proposed painting the famous Hollywood sign red white and blue. But two committees have voted down that suggestion citing security and traffic concerns. What do you think? Should they paint it? Take the TALKBACK LIVE on-line viewer vote at cnn.com/talkback. The AOL keyword is CNN. While you are there, check my note and send us an e-mail.

I want to know how anybody thinks the traffic in L.A. is going to get any worse just because they paint the Hollywood sign red white and blue, but nobody asked me.

OK, with us this afternoon, Salam al-Marayati, the Muslim public affairs council, Todd Boyd, the University of Southern California. Also with us today, Bryce Zabel, Academy of Television Art and Sciences, they are the folks who bring you the Emmy Awards, and of course, all of you out here.

Todd, I want to go back to you because we haven't heard from you much in this hour about the involvement of Hollywood. I'm just curious, why would the White House need to approach Hollywood on this? After all, I think these people seem fairly bright. They know what sells and attracts attention. Does Hollywood really need the White House's intervention to produce the sort of films or other sort of entertainment that is going to appeal to the audience in this time and put out certain messages?

BOYD: I don't think so. I think film is always respondent to conditions present at society at a given time. One of the biggest movies this year was the film "Pearl Harbor" which has a very patriotic, pro-American message and this was well before September 11.

If you think about some of the more popular films over the last several years, a number of them have had themes of Americana quite vivid. I think, you know, the events of September 11 were quite catastrophic and they will continue to have an impact on the minds of the people who write, produce and direct movies and I don't think there's any need for the government to be involved here, because I think it's something that's going to evolve naturally.

CHEN: All right. We've got folks on the telephone line now. This is David in Arkansas. Do you have a comment for us?

DAVID: Yes. My comment this is, you know, back there during World War II, we had all kinds of propaganda movies. You know -- you know, they were heroic movies, you know, John Wayne and all this kind of stuff like that.

CHEN: John Wayne, yeah.

DAVID: Hello?

CHEN: Yes, sir. Just curious to hear what other movies. So -- so your point is that this was a good thing?

DAVID: My point is -- my point is that the only thing that brought the World War II to the end was Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And that's a horrible thing to say.

CHEN: And that has to do with Hollywood? I'm not sure I quite made that connection. Hollywood doesn't work, I guess is your point then?

DAVID: Well, I'm just saying that, you know, with all the propaganda movies and everything that came out, the only thing that really worked was force.

CHEN: OK. I guess what he is telling us, professor, is that -- he is not buying (AUDIO GAP) involvement.

BOYD: Well, I -- I think the point again is during World War II, the media was not nearly as prevalent in our lives as it is now. I mean, you have so many options on television to pay attention to the events 24/7.

Back in the '40s that wasn't the case. Hollywood was small, it was controlled by a handful of individuals. And I think, you know, we have to recognize the fact, you know, that we now have television. We have the Internet. We have, you know, information around us, in all forms and accessible in many different ways, which was not the case during World War II.

And I think we have to recognize that Hollywood probably won't play as prominent a role in whatever transpires this time around, because society and the media has changed so drastically.

CHEN: OK. Got you on that, professor. Out here in our audience Mike has got a word in.

MIKE: Yes. I hope that Hollywood accurately portrays the religion of Islam. Being African-American and Islamic, a Muslim, I'm familiar and know the pain of having like the minstrel shows where African-Americans were unfairly depicted in the movies.

So I hope that Hollywood acts responsibly and gives an accurate depiction of Islam and make it plain that terrorist acts are of individuals, not associated with the religion of Islam.

CHEN: Very spontaneous response to Mike's comment here. A lot of concern about that. Bryce, is there a reason to actually sit down with the producers in Hollywood and say, "Look, this is something the folks out in the general public are really worried about, how you are going to end up depicting things."

ZABEL: Well, you know, I don't know if there is a reason to get together and talk to Hollywood producers about that. They are doing it anyway. I have spoken with a number of people -- from John Wells to Aaron Sorkin, David Kelly recently -- and any good writer or producer in Hollywood is already trying to write material that reflects post 9-11 environment we are in. So I think that will happen spontaneously and voluntarily.

I think the question is, is the U.S. government actually sending Karl Rove out here to meet with those of us in Hollywood with some kind of an agenda? And I'm not convinced that they have agenda yet they want to us do. Do they want to us commission a number of short films about America and air drop VHS cassettes on Pakistan? I didn't know. I mean, I haven't heard any specific comments and I'd like to hear them.

CHEN: And some VCRs as well, I guess, and electricity.

BOYD: They might need DVD at this point.

ZABEL: That's good.

CHEN: DVD. That's good. Portable DVDs. That's good. OK.

ZABEL: You can get more films on DVD.

CHEN: This is a comment from W. Scott in Austin, Texas he e- mailed to us: "It generally takes films two to three years to get from the development stage to your local theater anyway. You can't realistically expect to start seeing movies tackling these current issues within the next few months or even within the next year."

ZABEL: Well... CHEN: Right, Bryce?

ZABEL: You know, I think that may be true about films. But remember, television operates on a much faster timeline than films do. And literally, as you recall, Aaron Sorkin -- who is the writer/creator on "the west wing" decided that he need to do something to reflect the 9-11 attacks and actually turned around a project in several weeks and got it on the air.

And almost every show that wants to be involved in responding to the 9-11 attacks in some way has projects that are commissioned or shot or edited or about to hit the air. So if we want to get material out in a timely way, that won't and problem. And in fact, it -- it will be pretty easy.

CHEN: All right. We are going to have to take a break here at this point. Thank you all for being with us today. They did a good job defending their points of view. Right, audience? I appreciate all of them being with us.

Salam, Bryce, and as well as Professor Todd. Thank you all for being with us.

Still ahead, can marketing techniques that send Americans out to the mall sell America's values to the rest of the world? Bill Press and Mark Honig spin it for us right after this.

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CHEN: We have very smart people in our audience today. We were talking during the break with Nick. He's a smart young man. Also, we have a lot of educators in our audience. So we are minding our Ps and Qs today. Welcome back to TALKBACK LIVE: AMERICA SPEAKS OUT. And joining us now this half hour, Bill Press, host of CNN's "CROSSFIRE"...

BILL PRESS, HOST, CNN'S "CROSSFIRE:" Hi, Joie.

CHEN: And also -- and yes, Bill, your book is on the bookshelf -- the storage shelves just in time for the holiday gift-giving season. Spin this, Bill Press.

PRESS: It was planned that way.

CHEN: I am sure it was. I'm sure it was.

PRESS: Thank you, Joie.

CHEN: Mark Honig is with us as well. Executive director of the Parent's Television Council. Thank you for being with us as well, Mark.

MARK HONIG, PARENTS TELEVISION COUNCIL: Thank you, Joie.

CHEN: All right, gentlemen, we have talked about sort of the mechanics of things, about how Hollywood might be employed in the war on terror. Now we want to get to the right and wrong on this. Mark, we'll let you go first. Right? Wrong? Is it an appropriate place, an appropriate role for Hollywood?

HONIG: It's definitely appropriate. Hollywood plays a significant role in shaping public opinion both here and abroad. The messages that they put out in the form of pictures, specifically -- when we're talking films and television -- definite impact behavior. And Hollywood can play a significant role here.

CHEN: What do you think, audience? Bill, there is another view on that?

PRESS: Well, I think it is fine for them to meet but I have some hesitation about what this is all about. First of all, when Karl Rove, the political director, comes to Hollywood asking for help, I suspect that maybe he wants them to do a film called "The Life and Times of George W. Bush," and get it out right before the next election.

CHEN: So you can get your book on the bookshelves before the holiday gift-giving season, but if they want to get a George W. Bush movie out... All right. That's a different matter, then, Bill.

PRESS: Well, just so we understand what it is all about. But I don't think that's what Karl Rove's plans are. But you know, here is the thing. When I go to the movies, I want to escape from reality. When I go to the movies, I want entertainment, not propaganda.

And I also think that Hollywood knows better than the White House what the American really people want. Frankly, I think have had a lot of wonderful patriotic films out lately, and I don't know how they could do any better. I'm -- if I were the White House, I would just let Hollywood do its thing.

CHEN: All right. Thomas, do you want to be entertained or do you want to get a little education in your movies?

THOMAS: I want to get a little education in my movies. I think Hollywood has a responsibility to be role models, because, like it or not, they are. The same as professional athletes. Young children look up to professional athletes and to Hollywood both. And I think it is very important that the White House realize that many different venues can be taken to help with this war on terrorism.

CHEN: All right. A lot of audience agreement on that. I see some nodding heads that. Mark, it's kind of interesting, isn't it? Isn't this the same Hollywood that usually tells us that they are not influencing young kids to violence or anything else?

HONIG: Oh, they always are telling us that. But when they do something positive they want to pat themselves on the back. MTV, of all networks, is notorious. And it influences kids, we know, in droves on drugs. When they do something positive, like the fight for your rights campaign to showcase hate crimes, they pat themselves on the back. But when they do shows such as "Jackass," "Undressed," and some of these others in which they are portraying America as a vulgar and in some cases violent society, they -- they don't -- they want to excuse themselves from any responsibility there.

CHEN: Yes. The teachers...

HONIG: And what we need to do is look overall and say, "look, they do need to be responsible." That is the one common word I've heard used throughout this show.

CHEN: And the teachers are nodding their heads big time, the teachers out here. Yes, Mr. Press?

PRESS: If I can just jump in there. I think of "Saving Private Ryan," I think of "Pearl Harbor." I can't think of one movie that portrays terrorists as good guys. I mean, I think Hollywood is on the right track and Hollywood knows how to do it better than the politicians do.

Sydney Pollack, one of the greatest directors in Hollywood, was quoted the other day in a column by Matt Miller in the "Los Angeles Times" where Sydney says -- if I can read this -- "the worst thing that could happen now is everyone in Hollywood feeling a sense of obligation to do something about this that turns into some sort of agitprop." And I think, you know, the White House may want a heavy hand.

I say again, let Hollywood do these themes, portray these personalities the way they do it. And I think they do it -- they know what the American people want and who we are better than any of the politicians do.

CHEN: All right. Charlotte is on the line with us from California right now. Charlotte, go ahead for us.

CHARLOTTE: Hi. I am in the film industry. And I am really upset because no one has brought up that number one, the federal government is already paying the studios to calm down the drug use in shows. They are censoring Hollywood.

Hollywood needs to be left alone. This administration got down on Hollywood for so long during the campaign. And now they are turning -- turning around and asking them for help. I mean, we don't -- we don't want the government to tell Hollywood what to do.

If Hollywood wants to make reality. Fine. If they want to make fantasy, fine. All the stations can show the Twin Towers being smashed into over and over and over again. But then when Hollywood makes up something that is not OK?

CHEN: Audience? No. Nothing positive on Charlotte.

HONIG: Joie, I'd like to jump in here, because Hollywood always says all it does is reflect reality, what they see in society. And what we've seen since September 11 is a country that is generous, that is kind. Probably the most generous society in the world. A very religious society, and a country that is pulling together, that is uniting together. And there seems to be no reason why Hollywood shouldn't play a role in that.

PRESS: But Joie...

HONIG: There is nothing negative about that. Hollywood can play a role and it doesn't have to be a political issue. This is not politics. Politics need to be set aside at a time like when we're fighting a war.

CHEN: Bill?

PRESS: I don't think anybody is talking politics at all. I think we are talking about a very important issue.

I mean, I do take the caller's point that the Republicans really slammed Bill Clinton for reaching out to Hollywood to get their help on drugs, for example, and now they are cozening up to Hollywood to get their help on terrorism. And it's really the same thing.

But I think the more important point is not what movies we are making for Americans. The more important point, as some of your callers said -- your guests said in the first half hour, is what kind of message are we projecting around the world and what are we doing about that? You know, we are fighting a military war which we may or may not be winning, but there is this war for the hearts and minds of people...

CHEN: Right.

PRESS: ...which I don't think we begun to fight.

CHEN: But is Hollywood...

PRESS: That's what's important.

CHEN: Is Hollywood an effective way to reach hearts and minds in the rest of the world?

PRESS: No. Maybe three years from now. Hollywood can never get a product out in time for that. This has to be done now by using al Jazeera television, by getting Arabic speakers out there, by getting Muslim clerics out there, by getting our people on Arabic television.

CHEN: Unfortunately we have to take a break here. I know from David in our audience -- he points out if this is a war that they say may be going on for years, maybe we've got years to get these movies out. We have to take a break here. We will check the on-line viewer vote. If you haven't voted on that, get online now and vote. We'll get the results right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHEN: Welcome back. And let's check the TALKBACK LIVE on-line viewer vote. Should that big Hollywood sign out there in L.A. be painted red, white and blue? Let's take a look here at the results. Most of you in our very unscientific poll on the web say -- 62% say no, don't paint it. And our audience out here seems to agree with you as well. Bill Press and Mark Honig also with us as well. Bill, would you paint that sign?

PRESS: No. I used to live right underneath that sign, Joie, I liked it just fine.

CHEN: That's a matter of prestige out in Hollywood, I know.

PRESS: I lived in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Canyon, and I think -- I liked that sign just the way it is. Leave it alone.

CHEN: OK. Mark, talk to us a little bit about -- there is the Hollywood sign.

PRESS: There it is.

CHEN: Which letter were you under? You don't know, Bill?

PRESS: I don't -- no, I

CHEN: OK, OK.

PRESS: No, Joie, I wasn't that close.

CHEN: All right. Before we have to wrap up here, Mark, talk to us a little bit about the propaganda war and how that is being waged on the ground elsewhere in the world. After all, isn't this is a point of concern that Osama Bin Laden gets his message out? Why shouldn't the United States be able to reach it with its media as well?

HONIG: Definitely. The U.S. needs to win that battle. Right now people think we are either fighting an even war or actually losing that P.R. battle. That is why we've hired some outside influence from the advertising industry. Who knows better how to influence what we eat, what we say, what we drive, what we wear, et cetera, than the advertising community?

So I think the Bush White House employing outside consultants to help them in that battle is necessary at this time. We do need to win that ground war in the Middle East over propaganda as well. We need to unite the country behind this call for a war on terrorism because it is going to be there for the long haul.

And if Osama Bin Laden is going to get his message out there, we need to do what we can to get our message out there as well. And I'm hoping Hollywood and others will help.

CHEN: Kathy out here -- Kathy out here in the audience agrees with you. Kathy is from Tennessee.

KATHY: Yes, I do. I think that all of us here -- there are so many educators. And I don't know when I have watched TV as I much as I have these last few weeks. I hope that the entire world is watching TV and being influenced by what we see as a terrorist act on not just Americans but, you know, the civilized world and people everywhere.

CHEN: You know, Bill, there is sort of as point made -- I think I saw it in the "L.A. Times," in fact -- that point made that after all, this war began on television. The attacks on the World Trade Center began so that people, here, around the world would see it on TV. Didn't this war start on TV, and if the United States has got a message out, isn't that the way to go?

PRESS: I absolutely agree. I mean, consider the response the first time that Osama Bin Laden was shown on al Jazeera television. The response here at the White House was "don't how show that anymore in United States, because it's bad for people." Wrong approach.

We are not the problem. That video is being seen around the world. So I say, let's get our best spokesmen, our best Muslims or Arabs to speak for the United States about how they live here, they practice their faith, they enjoy our freedoms, and get that message on television around the world. I don't know who that person is. Maybe it's Salam al-Marayati. But let's get out there right alongside of Osama Bin Laden and fight that war. And we can win that war.

CHEN: Folks here do agree with you. In fact, I've heard that Christopher Broad, who used to be the Ambassador to Syria, the administration has trotted out quite a bit on al Jazeera as well.

Other folks in our audience. This is Nancy. Nancy from Washington.

NANCY: We are here in the Atlanta area. We are affiliated with the military. We live just like everyone else in our country, the war 24 hours a day.

The children -- I'm also a teacher. The children are impacted when they saw those two airplanes go into the towers. That is not something you just erase. The war is here. It's going to last, the prediction is, a mighty long time.

CHEN: And you want everybody involved?

NANCY: I think we need to take a real look at having a balance in our life. And especially for the children. The anthrax -- it can happen. They know it. Children are very, very bright.

And so I think Hollywood certainly can affect the war in numerous different ways. I would ask that they took a good, long, serious look at letting the military and the people that are highly polished in that endeavor. I would ask...

CHEN: Adding to Bill's point.

NANCY: I would ask the Hollywood crew to keep some levity, some smiles, some happiness. CHEN: All right. Make sure we all get a sense of humor on that as well. Thanks very much, Nancy. Mark Honig, quick last word from you?

HONIG: Well, I think here is an opportunity for Hollywood to really make peace with the American public and with the world at large. For a long time they have been putting out a lot of violent and vulgar material.

Here is an opportunity to take some responsibility. You have educators in the audience. They understand this better than anyone. Those images that are on television on a nightly basis do impact behavior, not only in America but worldwide.

CHEN: And that is where the audience wants to agree with you all. Thank you both for joining us. Bill, I'm sorry you couldn't get a st word in. But hey, we saw your book on TV.

PRESS: I will get my word in later tonight.

CHEN: Bill Press and Mark Honig as well. Sorry, we are out of time for today. Thanks to all of you in our studio audience and those of you at home joining us. TALKBACK LIVE: AMERICA SPEAKS OUT returns tomorrow, 3:00 Eastern.

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