Art Bell's Response and A Retraction

Story Part 2 of 2

This is Art Bell’s Letter and reaction to The Alleged Hate Letter to the Filipino people

(Note the retraction links are no longer valid)
Re: Hate Letter from Art Bell

Posted By Belle (Philippines)
Date 10 October 2004

In Response To: It’s a hoax! (Laowai In China)

After receiving an email containing the alleged Hate letter from Art Bell, I was initially outraged by the hateful contents of his letter. I wanted to find out more about the creep who authored such a sick letter! I searched for more information about him in the internet, and here’s what I was able to gather:

FILIPINOS ARE VICTIMS OF AN EMAIL HOAX

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO STOP IT

Over the last three years someone has been posting a malicious letter about Filipino’s with the subject: “Filipinos Make Me Puke”. In an attempt to smear Art Bell, someone took this Hate Message from a web site (now defunct), anonymously posted it to the Internet and signed Art Bell’s name and address to it. Every few months it gets posted again and again on newsgroups and e-mail lists, with additional hateful language to incite Filipino Internet users to respond to Art Bell.

ART BELL DID NOT WRITE THIS EMAIL

Art Bell is as much a victim of this hoax as you are. In fact, he is married to a Filipina and has the highest regard for the Philippine people. He is as offended by the contents of this email as you are. He has posted these facts on his website and has responded to every single email from any of you with the truth and the facts. Still, the vicious anti-Filipino email keeps circulating and angry Filipinos keep emailing Art!

ART BELL DID NOT WRITE THE HATEFUL ANTI-FILIPINO EMAIL

Most recently, on July 1, 2001 the email attributed to Art Bell surfaced in a show business column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, without the writer bothering to check the validity of the story. Two days later, July 3, the same column was taken up by a retraction and an apology, which the paper will run every day of the week, through July 8th. Please go to http://www.artbell.com/filipino.html to see this retraction, as well as the statement from Premiere Radio Networks, the company that syndicates Art Bell’s radio program, Coast to Coast, and Art’s statement about the most recent developments in this
outrageous fraud.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer has now become a victim of this same hoax. They are doing the right thing by printing a retraction. Now, we need you to do the RIGHT THING.

Set the record straight. PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE to all your friends.

Post this far and wide in your Filipino communities. Stop spreading Filipino hate. The bogus email is like a virus, causing mayhem and havoc in your community and in the life of ART BELL, WHO IS INNOCENT. We need your help to fight the spread of this HOAX. Please spread this warning wherever you see any version of the hate letter about Filipinos with Art Bell’s name attached.

Delete the hateful email and FORWARD THIS EMAIL AS YOUR RESPONSE. Direct your friends to
http://www.artbell.com/filipino.html for the facts.

You are doing your fellow Filipinos a disservice by not warning them; by allowing them to be DUPPED and ABUSED by the hateful language and the fraud that is being perpetrated on Art Bell.

THANK YOU FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING.

***************************************************************************

AN Open Letter to My Listeners
July 1, 2001
Another event in the seemingly never ending strange series of events in my life occurred, which will prevent me from being on the air this week. A horrible Racist article which has been on the Internet for almost three years, despite all our best efforts, has just been published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer (The largest circulation Newspaper in that country). This has resulted in hundreds of e-mails and death threats to me and my family. Even the slightest effort on their part, would have resulted in the truth before rushing to publish. The article appeared in the Entertainment section of the Sunday edition (July 1, 2001).
As many of you I hope are aware, I DID NOT WRITE this trash and never would, in fact my wife is half Filipino. It was originally sent from a computer located at U.C.S.D. in southern California. They have sent a apology which has been posted on this website (see below) for almost three years. Over that period of time EVERY inquiry has been answered by myself, my Webmaster and the Network.

We are presently taking all legal steps possible, however in the meantime there is a very real physical danger to my family and myself. This will require my full time attention for the moment. The Newspaper (as of this writing) still, has NOT published a Retraction, even though they have been served with a Demand Letter to do so.

The newspaper’s e-mail addresses are feedback@inq7.net, jvaruta@inquirer.com.ph, readersadvocate@inquirer.com.ph, should you care to help, by urging them to promptly retract this dangerous, reckless, thoughtless article. See you soon.
Art & Ramona Bell