First Sinclair... Now Viacom????

[dressleft2]

Just one more reason to visit www.DressLeft.com and overthrow our current leadership... Pass the word along and read on!

- - - courtesy of FAIR.org - - -
In the wake of the CEO of Viacom's declaration of support for George W.
Bush, the media giant that owns both CBS and MTV Networks is refusing to
air political advertising from advocacy organizations on its cable
channels (MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central).

The independent progressive group Compare Decide Vote produced an ad
comparing the presidential candidates' policy positions on issues
important to young people, which the group says was accepted for placement
by MTV Network's Comedy Central. Two days later, the station rejected the
ad, citing an MTV Networks policy against running advocacy ads (Washington
Post, 10/13/04).

"The reason behind our policy distinction between issue-ads and political
campaign ads is simply that across all our properties, we talk about these
issues every day," explained a Viacom spokesperson (Media Daily News,
10/13/04).

That reasoning—-that outside perspectives on important political issues
are blocked because Viacom's own coverage of the issues is sufficient—-is
undermined by CBS's recent decision to hold until after the election a 60
Minutes story on forged documents that the Bush administration used to
sell the Iraq war. The network said it "would be inappropriate to air the
report so close to the presidential election." (See FAIR Action Alert,
http://www.fair.org/activism/cbs-niger.html)

While Viacom stifles the messages of both political organizations and its
own reporters, Sumner Redstone, CEO of Viacom, has made his own political
voice heard clearly (Time, 10/4/04): "It happens that I vote for Viacom.
Viacom is my life, and I do believe that a Republican administration is
better for media companies than a Democratic one."

Citing FAIR's criticism of the spiking of the 60 Minutes story in the wake
of Redstone's declaration of support for Bush, L.A. Times media critic
David Shaw (10/10/04) wrote that a politically motivated delay would be
"reprehensible, a worse abdication of the network's journalistic
responsibility than even Rather's careless rush to
judgment" on the supposed National Guard memos. Even if the motive was a
"limit-the-damage public relations maneuver" in the wake of the Rather
imbroglio, Shaw wrote, the delay would be "no less regrettable."

This isn't the first time Viacom has come under scrutiny for rejecting
political ads. In March 2003, an anti-war group's ad was rejected from MTV
(New York Times, 3/13/03), and Viacom blocked an anti-Bush ad from the
group MoveOn.org from airing during the 2004 Super Bowl (Reuters,
1/16/04).

The media conglomerate's position that its own take on the election issues
is sufficient is arrogant and presumptuous, particularly given that Viacom
has a near-monopoly on media outlets that appeal primarily to young
voters, like MTV and Comedy Central. This censorious policy is one that
should be reversed.


ACTION: Compare Decide Vote has provided an 800 number that will connect
you to Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone's office, where you can leave a message
about the company's ban on independent political advertising—-as well as
CBS's decision to hold an expose of the Bush administration until after it
can no longer affect the election.

CONTACT:
Sumner Redstone, Chairman, Viacom
800-421-0245

[LittleClarkie]

1. What about their "Rock the vote" ads

I hope they aren't stopping them. I always liked seeing MTV interview both sides. But then that made Bush Sr. look old and Clinton look hip.

[Robbie67]

2. and people thought CBS tried to do a "hit piece" on Bush

:eyes: