Dear Bono....

You're meeting with the wrong people

FAQ

What is this site all about?

Dear Bono is a letter to U2 frontman and Make Poverty History campaigner, Bono, advising him of a different route to take in lobbying the world's governments to adhering to the Millennium Development Goals. The letter is drafted by a group of journalists who believe targeting the media's various accountability systems, such as press councils, to report every day on the 25,000 people who die each day from extreme poverty, would help end it sooner. However, this isn't a website merely for Bono. Our organisation needs YOU to write to you local press council demanding you were not informed of these 25,000 deaths.

How do we eradicate extreme poverty?: A plan was put in place which a number of countries have signed, agreeing to eradicate extreme poverty by 2025. This was thought feasible by each country agreeing to pledge .7 per cent of its gross national product to the third world's plight. The problem is, with a large number of these countries failing to make the pledges they promised, along with a global financial crisis to pin the blame on, this 2025 target is way behind schedule. A further problem remains, that many people are unaware their administrations have broken their promise. One way of returning these goals back on schedule is to implement mandatory reporting on the media to run the 25,000 deaths each day as the major news story - informing audiences of the severity of famine and then allowing us, our government's voters, to demand action.
Who are the press councils?: Press councils are a type of media accountability system, an authority that deals with complaints about something which has or has not been published. It is supposed to be present to uphold responsible and ethical journalism. In this context, we are looking at the press councils and various media accountability systems of the world as a tool to put pressure on the newspapers, radio and television stations to uphold responsible journalism by reporting on extreme poverty.
What can I do to help?: Did you read today in your newspaper that 25,000 people (most of whom were children) died from starvation? What about yesterday? Well since you didn't, you can make a complaint to your local press council. Let them know you were not informed of the most important news story of the day. Tell them you spend $1.20 on your newspaper and you feel ripped off. Tell them if you were told about these 25,000 people who died in one day from hunger and preventable diseases, you would have tried to help these people. Visit HOW CAN I HELP for more information.
Why is it important that Bono lobbies the press councils?: Not only has Bono been an avid campaigner of the rights of the third world and eradicating extreme poverty but he is also a celebrity. A celebrity is vital in spreading this message because the cure to extreme poverty involves a lot of boring and very unremarkable key words. For example: press councils, codes of ethics, media law, advocacy journalism, media accountability systems etc. This is a hard gimmick to sell. Therefore, in order to get individuals to write complaints to press councils, they need to be told by someone they respect and someone they will listen to. Enter, Bono.
Whatever happened to the Millennium Development Goals?: Nothing. Nothing happened to them and nothing came of them. Some of the Scandanavian countries decided they would honour their commitments, however, after the Global Financial Crisis, no one was really expected to hold their end of the bargain. This is one of the burning issues relating to the powers (or lack thereof) of the United Nations.
Why don't people in the third world just stop having children?: The team at Dear Bono take on an existential approach in lobbying against extreme poverty. In the western world, we have two or three children so we can look after them and raise them to live the life we live. In other places such as sub-Saharan Africa, mothers might tend to have more children because the survival rate is so low. Therefore, the more children a mother might have, the higher the chances are of having a child who doesn't die under the age of five. This doesn't make their custom wrong, it just makes our cultures different. We live in a world where the thought of going to a nursing home one day is enough to discuss the idea of euthanasia. In the third world merely showing a newborn baby a glimpse of the world, however short that glimpse might be, can be considered a life worth living.
How many people are dying of extreme poverty?: Betwen one and two billion people live in extreme poverty which is technically defined as living on less than a $1.25 a day. This represents roughly a quarter of the world's population. Out of these people, roughly 25,000 die each day or 9 million each year. This means every two years, the population of Australia dies from hunger and chronic malnutrition - and most of these people are children.
What is meant by an "existential approach"?: We at dear Bono are strenuously support the notion that we did not ask to be born, so we cannot be held accountable for the sins of our parents. Therefore, it shouldn't matter what our opinions are of the trends in today's world associated with overpopulation, only that if a child is born, then that child should be looked after and not be denied the basic human rights we can at times, take for granted.

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