Nightstalker
04-30-2004, 07:16 PM
Friday, April 30, 2004 3:15 p.m. EDT
Sinclair Defends Iraq War Dead Against ABC's Propagandizing
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/4/30/152035.shtml
In the face of blistering criticism from the liberal media, Sinclair broadcasting courageously refuses to back down from its decision not to carry ABC's "Nightline," which will air the names and photos of soldiers who have been killed in combat in Iraq.
The boycott will affect eight ABC-affiliated Sinclair stations.
Said Sinclair general counsel Barry Faber, "We find it to be contrary to the public interest."
At issue is Friday's "Nightline," which will consist entirely of Ted Koppel reading aloud the names of U.S. servicemen and women killed in action in Iraq, a program that Sinclair and others charge is using the deaths of Americans serving in Iraq for purely political purposes.
In a statement Sinclair Broadcasting charged: "Despite the denials by a spokeswoman for the show, the action appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq.
"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."
ABC, however, claims that the broadcast is "Nightline's" tribute to America's fallen soldiers, which simply seeks to honor those who have laid down their lives for this country.
As NewsMax.com reported in our article Sinclair, The Next Fox, 'Fair and Balanced', the Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBG), the nation's largest independent group owner of stations, according to Broadcasting & Cable, strives, like Fox News, to be scrupulously fair and balanced.
It has earned the scorn of the dominant liberal elitist mainstream media where left-wing, anti-Bush bias is the standard fare.
Sinclair's refusal to remain silent in the face of ABC's apparent exploitation of America's Iraq war dead reflects credit on the company, as opposed to Koppel and "Nightline," which may view our war dead as fodder for their anti-war bias.
In fact, Fox News itself asked Koppel for comment, and he told them he didn't have time to appear – but he did have time to go on liberal "Air America" radio with Al Franken to talk about mistakes the Bush administration has made in the war in Iraq.
The Media Research Center's L. Brent Bozell said that ABC can do whatever it wants with the program, but thinks ABC has been more anti-war than other stations, and says "Sinclair did the right thing by refusing to be a part of an editorial" by Ted Koppel, who will read the names of the war dead, but will not say anything about what they died for.
Sinclair Defends Iraq War Dead Against ABC's Propagandizing
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/4/30/152035.shtml
In the face of blistering criticism from the liberal media, Sinclair broadcasting courageously refuses to back down from its decision not to carry ABC's "Nightline," which will air the names and photos of soldiers who have been killed in combat in Iraq.
The boycott will affect eight ABC-affiliated Sinclair stations.
Said Sinclair general counsel Barry Faber, "We find it to be contrary to the public interest."
At issue is Friday's "Nightline," which will consist entirely of Ted Koppel reading aloud the names of U.S. servicemen and women killed in action in Iraq, a program that Sinclair and others charge is using the deaths of Americans serving in Iraq for purely political purposes.
In a statement Sinclair Broadcasting charged: "Despite the denials by a spokeswoman for the show, the action appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq.
"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."
ABC, however, claims that the broadcast is "Nightline's" tribute to America's fallen soldiers, which simply seeks to honor those who have laid down their lives for this country.
As NewsMax.com reported in our article Sinclair, The Next Fox, 'Fair and Balanced', the Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBG), the nation's largest independent group owner of stations, according to Broadcasting & Cable, strives, like Fox News, to be scrupulously fair and balanced.
It has earned the scorn of the dominant liberal elitist mainstream media where left-wing, anti-Bush bias is the standard fare.
Sinclair's refusal to remain silent in the face of ABC's apparent exploitation of America's Iraq war dead reflects credit on the company, as opposed to Koppel and "Nightline," which may view our war dead as fodder for their anti-war bias.
In fact, Fox News itself asked Koppel for comment, and he told them he didn't have time to appear – but he did have time to go on liberal "Air America" radio with Al Franken to talk about mistakes the Bush administration has made in the war in Iraq.
The Media Research Center's L. Brent Bozell said that ABC can do whatever it wants with the program, but thinks ABC has been more anti-war than other stations, and says "Sinclair did the right thing by refusing to be a part of an editorial" by Ted Koppel, who will read the names of the war dead, but will not say anything about what they died for.