Letter From the Watch Tower Society to NBC Declining an Invitation to Dateline (February 7, 2002)

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WATCH TOWER Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11204-2483, U.S.A. Phone. (718) 560-5800 Fax: (718) 560-5101

February 7,2002

Richard Greenberg Dateline NBC 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112

Dear Mr. Greenberg:

I am writing in response to your invitation for an on-camera interview on your upcoming Dateline NBC telecast. Thank you for the opportunity to participate; we appreciate your efforts to be fair and balanced. As you know, we have endeavored to cooperate with you and your staff as you worked to put the program together.

Regarding your request for a spokesperson, we recently brought it before the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, and they respectfully declined, as it would appear to pit brother against brother and this is not the Christian way to resolve differences. We do not feel that a nationwide television program is the forum in which to discuss differences in viewpoint between members of our religion. In this situation, you have related to us that your participants are primarily individuals who still regard themselves as Jehovah's Witnesses. We therefore do not view them as adversaries, but as individuals whose views and opinions should be heard within the framework of the congregation, or church, and not in front of a nationwide television audience. This would be in harmony with what the apostle Paul admonished, as recorded in the Bible at 1 Corinthians 1:10, "that you should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among you, but that you be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought." Our Covering Body is willing to resolve differences of opinion within the framework of the congregation and according to Scriptural principles.

This is not to say that Jehovah's Witnesses are opposed to the idea of on-camera interviews in general; however, it is not felt appropriate in this circumstance. Again, we want to thank you for your invitation, and we ask that you understand our reasons for not accepting it.

Sincerely,

J. R. Brown Director Office of Public Information

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