Sinclair given a choice: Either give Kerry equal time or face a lawsuit

[Scooter24]

First Step Toward Legal Action Against Sinclair Calling for Immediate Access to Equal Airtime To Balance Partisan Attack Film Stolen Honor(WASHINGTON, DC, October 19, 2004) - Media Matters for America (MMFA) announced today that it is underwriting the costs of a shareholder action, demanding that Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., provide equal time to those "with views opposed to the allegations" in the anti-Kerry film Stolen Honor, which Sinclair plans to air between October 21-24, in prime time, on all 62 of its stations reaching up to 25 percent of U.S. TV households.

At 10 a.m. today, a letter from Glickenhaus & Co., a Wall Street firm with clients who hold stock in Sinclair, was delivered to the CEO of Sinclair, David D. Smith, and the company's board of directors, demanding that they immediately "provide those with views opposed to the allegations in the film an equal opportunity to respond." If an answer to Glickenhaus' demand is not received by close of business today, Tuesday October 19, additional remedies, including an injunction in a court of law prior to the first scheduled airing of Stolen Honor October 21, may be sought.

"Our mission is to thwart conservative misinformation in the media and ensure that the media offer the American public fair and balanced access to news and information," explained MMFA President and CEO David Brock. "We determined a stockholder effort is the strongest remaining course of action to force Sinclair to reconsider its decision to air Stolen Honor."

Glickenhaus & Co., a Wall Street investment firm holding 6,100 shares of Sinclair stock, is taking action against Sinclair on behalf of its clients holding shares in Sinclair. General partner Jim Glickenhaus mounted the action based on Sinclair's CEO and directors having a financial obligation to shareholders.

"We are not partisan. We are investors," Glickenhaus explained today. "Sinclair's decision has caused harm to the value of our investment in Sinclair. We believe Sinclair must give equal time to an opposing point of view. Otherwise the company is placing its future and the value of our investment in jeopardy, by putting the renewal of its FCC licenses at risk, alienating local advertisers, and opening itself up to libel suits against the company."

http://mediamatters.org/items/200410190004
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My apologies if this is a dupe.

[Fridays Child]

1. Talk about bearding the lion in his den! I am impressed!

[Shadowen]

2. I've heard Moore has offered Fahrenheit 9/11 to Sinclair...

...free. They did say, "We're allowing Kerry to respond". What the hell does that mean, anyway? Give Kerry a certain amount of time after the show for a rebuttal?

Assclowns.

[Selatius]

3. Only one thing that trumps partisanship in big business...

and that's the bottom line.

How does it go again? "Money talks and bullshit walks"?

[LiberteToujours]

4. Don't let the media tell you this is over

CNN was going on today about how Sinclair has decided to not air ALL of the documentary, so now everyone is happy, blah blah blah, except for a few of the most vocal critics. Sorry CNN and Sinclair, nice try. This is nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing. They are still airing parts of the documentary, and who even knows what the rest of it is going to be about? Certainly nothing criticizing Bush, so therefore equal time is still being violated. Keep on their asses and don't give up until they give up or are bankrupt!!