FAIR on Sinclair Censorship, Action Alert !!!

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Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and activism

http://www.fair.org/activism/sinclair-nightline.html

ACTION ALERT:
What Sinclair Doesn't Want You to See on Nightline

April 30, 2004

This evening, ABC's Nightline broadcast will be devoted to reading a list
of U.S. soldiers who have died in Iraq. But some viewers won't be able to
see the program: The Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns several ABC
affiliates, has announced that it will not air Nightline on its stations
tonight.

A statement on Sinclair's website explains: "While the Sinclair Broadcast
Group honors the memory of the brave members of the military who have
sacrificed their lives in the service of our country, we do not believe
such political statements should be disguised as news content. As a
result, we have decided to preempt the broadcast of Nightline this Friday
on each of our stations which air ABC programming."

Sinclair's rationale for the censorship of Nightline is explicitly
political: "Before you judge our decision, however, we would ask that you
first question Mr. Koppel as to why he chose to read the names of the 523
troops killed in combat in Iraq, rather than the names of the thousands of
private citizens killed in terrorists attacks since and including the
events of September 11, 2001. In his answer, you will find the real
motivation behind his action scheduled for this Friday." A response
statement from ABC said that the network did broadcast a list of the
victims of the September 11 attacks on the one-year anniversary.

This is not the first time that Sinclair's conservative political leanings
-- 98 percent of its 2004 political contributions have gone to Republicans
(MediaChannel.org, 4/29/04)-- have led the company into journalistic
controversy. In February, a Sinclair news crew was sent to Iraq to cover
the "good news" that was allegedly going unreported in the rest of the
media (Baltimore Sun, 2/18/04). And shortly after the September 11
attacks, Sinclair executives required stations to air editorial statements
in support of the Bush administration (Extra!, 11-12/01).

Sinclair controls about 60 TV stations, including eight ABC affiliates,
some in substantial population centers:

WSYX-- Columbus, Ohio
KDNL-- St. Louis, Mo.
WXLV-- Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point, N.C.
WEAR-- Mobile, AL & Pensacola, Fla.
WLOS-- Asheville, N.C.
WCHS-- Charleston & Huntington, W.V.
WGGB-- Springfield, Mass.
WTXL-- Tallahassee, Fla.

It's possible that some Nightline viewers, faced with how many American
lives have been lost in Iraq, may become opposed to the war. It's also
possible that others will see the show as an argument for fighting and
winning in Iraq, so that these deaths will not have been in vain.
Journalists, however, should not decide whether to report the reality of a
war depending on what they assume the political reaction might be. The
American people need full reporting on the situation in Iraq-- including
the toll in U.S. and Iraqi lives-- so that they can make an informed
judgment on whether the war's goals are worth the costs.

Sinclair may claim that it honors the memory of the dead members of the
military. It evidently prefers, however, that they should be remembered
without being mentioned-- a dishonorable position for a media outlet in a
democratic country.

ACTION: Contact the Sinclair Broadcast Group and share your thoughts about
the company's decision to censor the April 30 Nightline broadcast for
political reasons.

CONTACT:
Sinclair Broadcast Group
Phone: [phone]

***KoKo01 informs us that Lucy (below) is much easier to get through to. :-)
> Corporate Headquarters
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
10706 Beaver Dam Road
Hunt Valley, Maryland 21030
410-568-1500 (Main Telephone)
410-568-1533 (Main Fax)

Investor Relations Contact
Lucy A. Rutishauser
VP Corporate Finance and
Corporate Treasurer
[e-mail] )>

--
Sinclair-owned TV station WLOS has announced that it will pass along email
messages to Sinclair-- send your comments to:

WLOS
mailto:[e-mail]

As always, please remember that your comments are taken more seriously if
you maintain a polite tone. Please cc [e-mail] with your
correspondence.

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