As someone previously posted, there are many elements involved in this discussion. 1- domestic violence and 2- TV coverage of the O.J. Simpson case. Certainly these elements interact, but it might be useful to separate them for the moment. Unfortunately, the Mr. John Thomas ill-informed diatribe, does little to truly advance the discussion in regards to domestic violence; but there have been a number of other comments that I think do move things along. Perhaps IUve missed something, but what I find wanting is a developing discourse in regards to TV representation of this event and the way the networks frame the issues. The networks have a great deal of difficulty in sustaining a meaningful public dialogue around issues that are vitally important. Another arena of discourse is safely marginalized in the realms of academia and lost in a zone of a comfortable obscurity. Occasionally these realms intersect when RexpertsS are needed to enhance the truly abysmal state of broadcast journalism. The networks create media events such as town hall meetings in order to sustain an illusion of democracy. As they fetishize the Simpson case <under the guise of news reporting> the networks further trivialize the social context of domestic violence and its victims. Could you imagine what would happen if a fraction of the time and money spent on this case was devoted to a coordinated national discussion on health care reform? Allan Siegel