July 11, 2001

Mr. Dan Rather

CBS Evening News

New York, New York

RE: News Story by Dan Rather, CBS Evening News

Wednesday, July 11, 2001

Deadbeat Parent

Dear Mr. Rather

In reporting news, the CBS network should not contribute-to the demise of fatherhood in America,

The story reported on the Evening flews Show on the recent Wisconsin State Supreme Court's split decision about a so-called deadbeat father is hurtful to fatherhood,

Over the last several years, the mainstream media has been obsessed with denigrating divorced and unwed fathers as deadbeats. Portraying a father or fathers on national television in an unfavorable light as deadbeats is hurtful and more importantly grossly insensitive to America's children,

With regard to the issue of child support, the story is never the mom who doesn't pay her child support or is having too many babies, its always the father who is the problem and at fault. Generally, the issue of child support is misframed by both the electronic and print media, making the father the bad parent, Fathers, are unjustly usually designated the "non-custodial" parent in over 95% of cases, however, they are not deadbeats; they are loving Dads, who have been viciously beat dead by grossly discriminatory and unconstitutional child support laws, whose veiled purpose is to destroy the father and empower the mother.

The particular father your story featured, whose conduct could not be construed as proper, is not typical of America's fathers.

The CBS network should report stories and air sitcoms that bolster fathers, not undermine fatherhood.

In the future, our membership shall look forward to your staff writing and reporting more balanced and positive stories on fathers, all through the year.

Sincerely yours,

Mr. Robert Schafle, Pres.

Dads of Florida