It's hard to argue that the subject of the following article not an example of blatant partisan programming on behalf of Sinclair Broadcasting Group but more importantly it also appears symptomatic of a growing trend in US media. That is, as media services are more and more concentrated into the hands of a wealthy minority, fewer perspectives are open to the average American citizen including international points of view. It's partially why so many Americans are woefully ignorant of things outside their borders. (Before my US friends on this thread get their ire up let me state that this is a generalization, I know) but still, Any time I've visited the US I've found the level of reporting appalling in comparison to the news services of other countries. The BBC or CBC for example often seem more thorough and encompassing than say CNN or FOX. I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are on this issue.
_______________________________
TV Group to Show Anti- Kerry Film on 62 Stations
By JIM RUTENBERG
Published: October 11, 2004
Up to 62 television stations owned or managed by the Sinclair Broadcasting
Group - many of them in swing states - will show a documentary highly
critical of Senator John Kerry's antiwar activities 30 years ago within the
next two weeks, Sinclair officials said yesterday.
Those officials said the documentary would pre-empt regular night
programming, including prime time, on its stations, which include affiliates
for all six of the major broadcast networks in the swing states of Florida,
Ohio, Wisconsin, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
Called "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," the documentary features
Vietnam veterans who say their Vietnamese captors used Mr. Kerry's 1971
Senate testimony, in which he recounted stories of American atrocities,
prolonging their torture and betraying and demoralizing them. Similar claims
were made by prisoners of war in a commercial that ran during the summer
from an anti-Kerry veterans group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
Two of the former prisoners who appeared in the Swift Boat advertisement
were interviewed for the movie, including Ken Cordier, who had to resign as
a volunteer in the Bush campaign after the advertisement came out.
Sinclair's plan to show the documentary was first made public by The Los
Angeles Times on Saturday.
Mark Hyman, Sinclair's vice president for corporate relations, who doubles
as a conservative commentator on its news stations, said the film would be
shown because Sinclair deemed it newsworthy.
"Clearly John Kerry has made his Vietnam service the foundation of his
presidential run; this is an issue that is certainly topical," he said.
Asked what defined something as newsworthy, Mr. Hyman said, "In that it
hasn't been out in the marketplace, and the news marketplace."
Because Sinclair is defining the documentary - which will run commercial
free - as news, it is unclear if it will be required by federal regulations
to provide Mr. Kerry's campaign with equal time to respond.
But acknowledging that news standards call for fairness, Mr. Hyman said an
invitation has been extended to Mr. Kerry to respond after the documentary
is shown. "There are certainly serious allegations that are leveled; we
would very much like to get his response," he said.
Asked if Sinclair would consider running a documentary of similar length
either lauding Mr. Kerry, responding to the charges in "Stolen Honor" or
criticizing Mr. Bush, Mr. Hyman said, "We'd just have to take a look at it."
Aides to Mr. Kerry said he would not accept Sinclair's invitation.
"It's hard to take an offer seriously from a group that is hellbent on doing
anything to help elect President Bush even if that means violating basic
journalism standards," said Chad Clanton, a Kerry spokesman.
Sinclair's plans put Mr. Kerry's campaign in an awkward position similar to
the one in which it found itself in August, when the Swift Boat group first
began running commercials against him containing unsubstantiated charges
that he lied to get his war medals. Mr. Kerry's aides at first held back
from responding, so as not to give the group and its charges more attention
- a decision that some Kerry aides now acknowledge cost him in public
opinion polls.
Mr. Clanton said Mr. Kerry's campaign would call on supporters to stage
advertiser boycotts and demonstrations against Sinclair's stations.
A group of Democratic senators, including Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts
and Dianne Feinstein of California, readied a letter calling for the Federal
Communications Commission to investigate the move, arguing that the
documentary was not news but a prolonged political advertisement from Mr.
Bush and, as such, violated fairness rules.
Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president of the Media Access Project, an advocacy
group promoting greater media regulation, said he did not think the film
would qualify for a news exemption. And, he said, even if it did fall under
equal time provisions, those are based on candidate appearances and in this
case, since it is Mr. Kerry who appears, "albeit disparagingly," stations
would be required to show Mr. Bush or possibly the independent candidate
Ralph Nader, if they requested it.
Sinclair was already a galvanizing force for Democrats. The political
donations of its executives have gone overwhelmingly to Republicans,
according to a review of donations on Politicalmoneyline.com. In April
Sinclair refused to run an episode of "Nightline" on its stations in which
the anchor Ted Koppel spent the entire program reading the names of American
soldiers killed in Iraq.
"Stolen Honor" was produced by Carlton Sherwood, formerly a reporter with
The Washington Times. His Web site says he received no money from any
political party or campaign but got initial funding from Pennsylvania
veterans.
The documentary has been distributed by mail order and via streaming
Internet connections. Mr. Hyman said Sinclair was not paying for the right
to broadcast it.
_______________________________
TV Group to Show Anti- Kerry Film on 62 Stations
By JIM RUTENBERG
Published: October 11, 2004
Up to 62 television stations owned or managed by the Sinclair Broadcasting
Group - many of them in swing states - will show a documentary highly
critical of Senator John Kerry's antiwar activities 30 years ago within the
next two weeks, Sinclair officials said yesterday.
Those officials said the documentary would pre-empt regular night
programming, including prime time, on its stations, which include affiliates
for all six of the major broadcast networks in the swing states of Florida,
Ohio, Wisconsin, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
Called "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," the documentary features
Vietnam veterans who say their Vietnamese captors used Mr. Kerry's 1971
Senate testimony, in which he recounted stories of American atrocities,
prolonging their torture and betraying and demoralizing them. Similar claims
were made by prisoners of war in a commercial that ran during the summer
from an anti-Kerry veterans group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
Two of the former prisoners who appeared in the Swift Boat advertisement
were interviewed for the movie, including Ken Cordier, who had to resign as
a volunteer in the Bush campaign after the advertisement came out.
Sinclair's plan to show the documentary was first made public by The Los
Angeles Times on Saturday.
Mark Hyman, Sinclair's vice president for corporate relations, who doubles
as a conservative commentator on its news stations, said the film would be
shown because Sinclair deemed it newsworthy.
"Clearly John Kerry has made his Vietnam service the foundation of his
presidential run; this is an issue that is certainly topical," he said.
Asked what defined something as newsworthy, Mr. Hyman said, "In that it
hasn't been out in the marketplace, and the news marketplace."
Because Sinclair is defining the documentary - which will run commercial
free - as news, it is unclear if it will be required by federal regulations
to provide Mr. Kerry's campaign with equal time to respond.
But acknowledging that news standards call for fairness, Mr. Hyman said an
invitation has been extended to Mr. Kerry to respond after the documentary
is shown. "There are certainly serious allegations that are leveled; we
would very much like to get his response," he said.
Asked if Sinclair would consider running a documentary of similar length
either lauding Mr. Kerry, responding to the charges in "Stolen Honor" or
criticizing Mr. Bush, Mr. Hyman said, "We'd just have to take a look at it."
Aides to Mr. Kerry said he would not accept Sinclair's invitation.
"It's hard to take an offer seriously from a group that is hellbent on doing
anything to help elect President Bush even if that means violating basic
journalism standards," said Chad Clanton, a Kerry spokesman.
Sinclair's plans put Mr. Kerry's campaign in an awkward position similar to
the one in which it found itself in August, when the Swift Boat group first
began running commercials against him containing unsubstantiated charges
that he lied to get his war medals. Mr. Kerry's aides at first held back
from responding, so as not to give the group and its charges more attention
- a decision that some Kerry aides now acknowledge cost him in public
opinion polls.
Mr. Clanton said Mr. Kerry's campaign would call on supporters to stage
advertiser boycotts and demonstrations against Sinclair's stations.
A group of Democratic senators, including Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts
and Dianne Feinstein of California, readied a letter calling for the Federal
Communications Commission to investigate the move, arguing that the
documentary was not news but a prolonged political advertisement from Mr.
Bush and, as such, violated fairness rules.
Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president of the Media Access Project, an advocacy
group promoting greater media regulation, said he did not think the film
would qualify for a news exemption. And, he said, even if it did fall under
equal time provisions, those are based on candidate appearances and in this
case, since it is Mr. Kerry who appears, "albeit disparagingly," stations
would be required to show Mr. Bush or possibly the independent candidate
Ralph Nader, if they requested it.
Sinclair was already a galvanizing force for Democrats. The political
donations of its executives have gone overwhelmingly to Republicans,
according to a review of donations on Politicalmoneyline.com. In April
Sinclair refused to run an episode of "Nightline" on its stations in which
the anchor Ted Koppel spent the entire program reading the names of American
soldiers killed in Iraq.
"Stolen Honor" was produced by Carlton Sherwood, formerly a reporter with
The Washington Times. His Web site says he received no money from any
political party or campaign but got initial funding from Pennsylvania
veterans.
The documentary has been distributed by mail order and via streaming
Internet connections. Mr. Hyman said Sinclair was not paying for the right
to broadcast it.