Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
229 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036

Attention: Tom Feyer

March 28, 2007

Dear Sir:

We the undersigned write this letter to express our unhappiness with the failure of your esteemed newspaper to cover the 4th Annual Iranian/Persian Parade which took place in Manhattan on Sunday, March 25th.  Whereas a number of other news organizations covered this event, unfortunately the New York Times failed to do so, in spite of receiving press releases regarding this important cultural event in the City of New York. Consequently, we are forced to conclude that your failure reflects a bias against the growing Iranian/Persian community in New York and the surrounding areas, in light of the fact that your newspaper routinely covers other similar parades, such as by the Latin, Irish, and other ethnic communities.

The annual Annual Iranian/Persian Parade in New York City represents a proud moment for our community to display the colorful, rich cultural heritage of Iran, particularly for the young generation of Iranians/Persians who are the backbones of this event and whose tireless commitment of time, energy, and creativity has made this parade a major success year after year.   We firmly believe that our rich culture and cultural heritage contribute a great deal to the city's rainbow of multi-cultural identity, and it is unfortunate that your readers have been deprived of a unique opportunity to learn more about this important matter.  This inexcusable neglect on the part of New York Times can be partailly remedied by a belated coverage.  Information about the 4th Annual Iranian/Persian Parade is available on the internet:  

In conclusion, our main aim in writing this letter is to make sure that this unfair blackout of news concerning the annual Iranian/Persian parade is not repeated any more and that we can hopefully expect a conscious attempt by your newspaper to remedy this rather egregious shortcoming in the future.

Respectfully yours,

A group of Iranian-Americans