-----Original Message-----Sent: April 20, 2005 1:07 PM

To: Mr. Douglas Kelly, Editor-in-Chief, National Post

Mr. Kelly:

My name is John Pacheco.

I was the principal organizer for the March for Marriage & Freedom on

Parliament Hill on Saturday April 9.  This rally drew over 15,000 people, one of the largest political gatherings on Parliament Hill ever. 

As you are no doubt aware by now, the original Canadian Press report by Mr. Jim Bronskill claimed that "as many as 4,000 protesters" were in attendance.  Needless to say, this was a gross understatement. Unfortunately, before the 4,000 attendance report was removed from the original article and an amendment later issued by CP, this number was used by many media outlets across the country, including reports by CanWest.  Some outlets corrected the number, while others have not.  The Calgary Herald issued a formal correction while the

Montreal Gazette printed a letter to the editor complaining about the original number.

I am writing to you to seek a formal correction of this number by the National Post.  I do not accept that it is too late to issue the correction, especially considering the size of the rally and its subsequent impact on the participants.  The coverage by the national media was, to put it mildly, a disgrace, being relegated to little more than a Stephen Harper speech.

If my request is not accepted, I am planning to launch a boycott of the

National Post.  Using my network that drew 15,000-20,000 people and the subsequent growth in our movement, I will use every available means to ensure that the National Post, which is supposed to represent a more balanced coverage of the news than other outlets, is held accountable for their factual reporting. In addition to this, I will be meeting with some key people over the next few days to pursue the possibility of establishing an alternative National news service that is committed to countering the leftist dominance in Canada's press.

Moreover, I also plan to issue a full report on the media bias, distortion, and abdication of journalistic standards.  Obviously the tone and effectiveness of my article will be largely determined by your response to my request for correction.

It is my understanding that you believe that the Post gives marriage a far more balanced view than other papers in this country.  I do not dispute this, but being slightly to the right of the Globe & Mail is nothing to be particularly proud of, in my humble estimation.

If the Post wants to be seen as a legitimate and objective source for news in the country, it must get its facts right and admit when it does not. I think this is a reasonable request, don't you?

I look forward to your reply.

Regards,

John Pacheco

Principal Organizer

March4Marriage.ca

p.s. I have bcc'd some of my supporters in this e-mail.