http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/01/business/media/01TUBE.html
Debate Over 'Nightline' Tribute to War Dead Grows, as McCain Weighs In
By BILL CARTER
he decision by the Sinclair Broadcast Group to pre-empt a broadcast of
"Nightline" devoted to reciting the names of every member of the military
killed in action in Iraq ran into a torrent of protest yesterday from
viewers, media watchdog groups, and one prominent veteran of the Vietnam
War, Sen. John McCain.
Senator McCain made public a letter he had sent to the chief executive of
Sinclair, one of the country's largest owners of local television stations.
He wrote that he found Sinclair's removal of the "Nightline" news program
from the eight ABC affiliates it owns "deeply offensive."
"Your decision to deny your viewers an opportunity to be reminded of war's
terrible costs, in all their heartbreaking detail, is a gross disservice to
the public, and to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces," he
added. "It is, in short, sir, unpatriotic. I hope it meets with the public
opprobrium it most certainly deserves."
ABC was able to secure alternate options for viewers in six of the eight
cities affected, including St. Louis, Mobile, Ala., and Columbus, Ohio.
The controversy surrounding the "Nightline" broadcast comes as the news
media focuses increased attention on the cost of the war. News reports have
highlighted that more members of the armed forces were killed in April than
in any other month of the war. Yesterday, at least two newspapers, USA Today
and The Washington Post, displayed rows of photographs of the war dead. The
New York Times published a page of photographs of war dead on April 15.
Sinclair, whose top executives have made substantial donations to Republican
politicians and which has editorialized on its stations in favor of the war
in Iraq, said earlier this week that the reading aloud of the names of the
war dead, accompanied by photographs, amounted to an antiwar statement.
Yesterday, Sinclair's executives did not back down. For most of the day it
was impossible to get calls through to the main number at the company's
headquarters in Baltimore. Company executives did not respond to messages
left on their individual voice mail systems.
But Sinclair released a letter from its chief executive, David D. Smith, to
Senator McCain in which he wrote that "responsible journalism" requires that
a discussion of the cost of wars "must necessarily be accompanied by a
description of the benefits of military action and the events that
precipitated that action."
He added: "It is `Nightline's' failure to present the entire story, however,
to which Sinclair objects. `Nightline' is not reporting news; it is doing
nothing more than making a political statement."
Last night, Sinclair planned to broadcast on its ABC affiliates a debate
about the issue.
ABC News executives declined to comment yesterday. Ted Koppel, the anchor of
"Nightline," said earlier this week that the program was intended to honor
the dead and remind viewers of the human cost of war.
Sinclair's decision was attacked by some critics as political. Media
watchdog groups like Common Cause and Free Press denounced it and said they
would instigate challenges to renewals of broadcast licenses of stations
owned by Sinclair.
ABC made a late flurry of deals with other outlets in the cities affected.
Micah Johnson, the news director at WHNS, in Greenville, S.C., a Fox
affiliate owned by the Meredith Corporation, said he contacted ABC about
picking up "Nightline."
"I disagree with Sinclair," he said. "I think people should decide
themselves based on the program, not because a particular group is making
the decision for them."
--
Yang
a.a. #28
AthD (h.c.) conferred by the regents of the LCL
a.a. pastor #-273.15, the most frigid church of Celcius nee Kelvin
EAC Econometric Forecast and Socerey Division
Proudly plonked by Lani Girl and Crazyalec
The Bush 'balanced' budget: 1.2 trillion and worsening
The Bush 'economic' policy: -3 million jobs and counting
The Bush Iraq lie: -738 GIs, one friend's co-worker's son and mounting
Having Bush ***** up my country: Worthless
--
Yang
a.a. #28
AthD (h.c.) conferred by the regents of the LCL
a.a. pastor #-273.15, the most frigid church of Celcius nee Kelvin
EAC Econometric Forecast and Socerey Division
Proudly plonked by Lani Girl and Crazyalec
The Bush 'balanced' budget: 1.2 trillion and worsening
The Bush 'economic' policy: -3 million jobs and counting
The Bush Iraq lie: -738 GIs, one friend's co-worker's son and mounting
Having Bush ***** up my country: Worthless
.
|
