Thomas Veil
Oct 19, 2004, 11:59 AM
Oh dear dear dear. It hasn't been a good week for Sinclair TV.
First, advertisers threaten to pull their ads. (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/18/business/media/18sinclair.html)
Then they get sued by an ex-Marine (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/19/politics/campaign/19vet.html) for his portrayal in the anti-Kerry film.
Then they fire a news editor who was critical (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Kerry-Film-Reporter.html) of their handling of the film.
Frankly, I hope that ex-Marine can successfully file an injunction to keep it from being shown.
Some quotes from the above links, for those who are not registered with the New York Times:
Sinclair - the nation's largest owner of television stations, many of them in electoral swing states - is itself running a significant financial and political risk by telling its stations to pre-empt regular programming and carry the film. Already, Sinclair's decision has alienated some advertisers; enraged consumer and media watchdog groups, who are vowing to challenge its station licenses when they come up for renewal; and given pause to some analysts and investors considering the company's financial outlook.
Representatives of Sinclair did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment. But the company, whose executives have been among the largest media contributors to President Bush, has said the documentary deserves to be seen because it is news, and as such does not fall under federally mandated equal-time provisions for political candidates.
In the film, "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," former prisoners of war in Vietnam call Mr. Kerry's 1971 Senate testimony a betrayal that prolonged their captivity. In that testimony, Mr. Kerry quoted other veterans talking about American atrocities.
The Kerry campaign has called the film a politically motivated attack that is unfair and inaccurate.
Last week, the Kerry campaign formally asked Sinclair for equal time to respond to the film, a move that could lead the Federal Communications Commission to consider whether to order the stations to allow a response.
Sinclair is no stranger to political controversy. In April, its eight ABC affiliates pre-empted the "Nightline" program in which Ted Koppel read aloud the names of American soldiers killed in Iraq. Sinclair declared the show "unpatriotic" and harmful to the war effort, adding that "Nightline'' was motivated by an antiwar agenda; it instead offered its ABC affiliates a special that debated the issue.
Earlier this year, Mark Hyman, the vice president for corporate relations at Sinclair who doubles as a conservative commentator on the company's newscasts, took a crew to Iraq to find what he called the untold positive news of the war. And after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Sinclair ordered newscasters at its Fox affiliate in Baltimore to read patriotic statements praising President Bush.
But the furor over "Stolen Honor'' appears to be affecting Sinclair in ways these previous actions did not. In some cities - among them, Portland, Me.; Madison, Wis.; Springfield, Ill.; and Minneapolis - local advertisers, including car dealers, furniture makers, supermarkets and restaurants, have taken their commercials off the company's stations.
"I've decided I don't want to advertise on them," said Adam Lee, the president of Lee Auto Malls, which owns 10 auto dealerships in Portland Me., and has ordered its advertising off the CBS affiliate, WGME. "It's a public trust. It seems they're abusing it. If it were a news show and they were really trying to do a fair and balanced story on both sides, that would be a different matter. I don't think they are. That's not their intention.''
Groups, including Common Cause, the Alliance for Better Campaigns, Media Access Project, Media for Democracy and the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, are putting together a database listing all Sinclair advertisers and will try to persuade others to withdraw their commercials. Among those on the list are chains like Applebee's International, Best Buy, Chili's, Circuit City, Domino's Pizza, Lowe's, Papa John's, Subway, Taco Bell and Wal-Mart Stores.
The groups are also vowing to find groups in cities with Sinclair stations who will challenge the broadcast licenses of every Sinclair-owned station over the next several years. Such challenges almost never result in lost licenses, but they often result in heavy legal costs for the station having to defend them.
A veteran shown in a new film critical of Senator John Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activism is suing the producer of the movie, saying it libels him by deceptively editing his statements.
The suit, filed yesterday in Philadelphia, involves the film "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," which accuses Mr. Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president, and the antiwar group he joined of making up the accounts of wartime atrocities that Mr. Kerry later talked about in his 1971 Senate testimony. The Sinclair Broadcast Group has asked its 62 television stations to show the movie this week.
The veteran who brought the suit, Kenneth J. Campbell, is shown saying he was not at one of the massacres later discussed, and asking another veteran whether he could produce accounts of the massacre.
A lawyer for Mr. Campbell, a decorated marine who is now a professor at the University of Delaware, said the film was edited to take out footage in which Mr. Campbell made clear that only soldiers who witnessed the atrocities firsthand would be allowed to testify at the hearings, and footage in which he recounted his military superiors ordering him to kill innocent civilians.
"It edits little clips to make it look like they're just making up instances," said the lawyer, David Kairys, who said Mr. Campbell was not connected with the Kerry campaign.
The film's producer, Carlton A. Sherwood, said in a statement that the complaint was "completely baseless." He said Mr. Campbell was not identified by name in the film.
Lawyers for Mr. Campbell sent letters to Sinclair and to a theater near Philadelphia that was planning to show the film on Tuesday, warning them that the film was defamatory. The theater canceled the showing, citing "pending litigation."
Meanwhile, Jonathan Lieberman, the Washington bureau chief for Sinclair's news division, told CNN last night that he had been fired for publicly objecting to the decision to present the film as news, not commentary, and to run it so close to the election.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Sinclair Broadcast fired its Washington bureau chief, saying he revealed company business when he discussed its upcoming program on a documentary critical of John Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activities.
Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. said in a statement late Monday that it fired reporter Jon Leiberman and that ``we are disappointed that Jon's political views caused him to violate company policy and speak to the press about company business.''
In his initial remarks, published Monday by The (Baltimore) Sun, Leiberman called the Sinclair show "biased political propaganda, with clear intentions to sway this election.''
Leiberman said he was fired Monday by Joseph DeFeo, Sinclair's vice president for news, and escorted out of the company's headquarters in Hunt Valley, Md.
"I was told I violated company policy by divulging information from a staff meeting'' to The Sun, Leiberman said late Monday.
The staff meeting took place Sunday at Sinclair's headquarters, Leiberman said. He said staffers were told that the news division would handle the hourlong show, based on the documentary "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal.''
The 42-minute documentary features former prisoners of war accusing Kerry, a decorated veteran who took up the anti-war cause upon returning from Vietnam, of prolonging the war and worsening their plight. Sinclair said last week it hadn't been decided how much of the documentary would appear in the completed show....
Leiberman, 29, said he told DeFeo he would not participate in preparing the program about the film and that he objected to it being labeled news rather than commentary.
"We have no further comment on the actions of a disgruntled employee or an ongoing personnel matter,'' the Sinclair statement said. ``Viewers can grade Leiberman's opinion versus the reality when the finished product is aired.''
Leiberman said he was not disgruntled and that the company had largely treated him well before now.
"I love what I do, but I love doing news. ... And I just felt like nobody was listening.''
Earlier this month, Sinclair ordered its 62 TV stations across the country to pre-empt regular programming to air the show. In Baltimore, the show airs on Friday; at least some other stations were planning to show it Saturday.
Leiberman was chosen by Sinclair last year to start the company's four-person Washington bureau. He said Sinclair told him that he was fired for cause and would receive no severance.
"I know I stood up for the principles of objectivity,'' he said. "In journalism, all we have is credibility and objectivity.''
First, advertisers threaten to pull their ads. (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/18/business/media/18sinclair.html)
Then they get sued by an ex-Marine (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/19/politics/campaign/19vet.html) for his portrayal in the anti-Kerry film.
Then they fire a news editor who was critical (http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Kerry-Film-Reporter.html) of their handling of the film.
Frankly, I hope that ex-Marine can successfully file an injunction to keep it from being shown.
Some quotes from the above links, for those who are not registered with the New York Times:
Sinclair - the nation's largest owner of television stations, many of them in electoral swing states - is itself running a significant financial and political risk by telling its stations to pre-empt regular programming and carry the film. Already, Sinclair's decision has alienated some advertisers; enraged consumer and media watchdog groups, who are vowing to challenge its station licenses when they come up for renewal; and given pause to some analysts and investors considering the company's financial outlook.
Representatives of Sinclair did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment. But the company, whose executives have been among the largest media contributors to President Bush, has said the documentary deserves to be seen because it is news, and as such does not fall under federally mandated equal-time provisions for political candidates.
In the film, "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," former prisoners of war in Vietnam call Mr. Kerry's 1971 Senate testimony a betrayal that prolonged their captivity. In that testimony, Mr. Kerry quoted other veterans talking about American atrocities.
The Kerry campaign has called the film a politically motivated attack that is unfair and inaccurate.
Last week, the Kerry campaign formally asked Sinclair for equal time to respond to the film, a move that could lead the Federal Communications Commission to consider whether to order the stations to allow a response.
Sinclair is no stranger to political controversy. In April, its eight ABC affiliates pre-empted the "Nightline" program in which Ted Koppel read aloud the names of American soldiers killed in Iraq. Sinclair declared the show "unpatriotic" and harmful to the war effort, adding that "Nightline'' was motivated by an antiwar agenda; it instead offered its ABC affiliates a special that debated the issue.
Earlier this year, Mark Hyman, the vice president for corporate relations at Sinclair who doubles as a conservative commentator on the company's newscasts, took a crew to Iraq to find what he called the untold positive news of the war. And after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Sinclair ordered newscasters at its Fox affiliate in Baltimore to read patriotic statements praising President Bush.
But the furor over "Stolen Honor'' appears to be affecting Sinclair in ways these previous actions did not. In some cities - among them, Portland, Me.; Madison, Wis.; Springfield, Ill.; and Minneapolis - local advertisers, including car dealers, furniture makers, supermarkets and restaurants, have taken their commercials off the company's stations.
"I've decided I don't want to advertise on them," said Adam Lee, the president of Lee Auto Malls, which owns 10 auto dealerships in Portland Me., and has ordered its advertising off the CBS affiliate, WGME. "It's a public trust. It seems they're abusing it. If it were a news show and they were really trying to do a fair and balanced story on both sides, that would be a different matter. I don't think they are. That's not their intention.''
Groups, including Common Cause, the Alliance for Better Campaigns, Media Access Project, Media for Democracy and the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, are putting together a database listing all Sinclair advertisers and will try to persuade others to withdraw their commercials. Among those on the list are chains like Applebee's International, Best Buy, Chili's, Circuit City, Domino's Pizza, Lowe's, Papa John's, Subway, Taco Bell and Wal-Mart Stores.
The groups are also vowing to find groups in cities with Sinclair stations who will challenge the broadcast licenses of every Sinclair-owned station over the next several years. Such challenges almost never result in lost licenses, but they often result in heavy legal costs for the station having to defend them.
A veteran shown in a new film critical of Senator John Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activism is suing the producer of the movie, saying it libels him by deceptively editing his statements.
The suit, filed yesterday in Philadelphia, involves the film "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," which accuses Mr. Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president, and the antiwar group he joined of making up the accounts of wartime atrocities that Mr. Kerry later talked about in his 1971 Senate testimony. The Sinclair Broadcast Group has asked its 62 television stations to show the movie this week.
The veteran who brought the suit, Kenneth J. Campbell, is shown saying he was not at one of the massacres later discussed, and asking another veteran whether he could produce accounts of the massacre.
A lawyer for Mr. Campbell, a decorated marine who is now a professor at the University of Delaware, said the film was edited to take out footage in which Mr. Campbell made clear that only soldiers who witnessed the atrocities firsthand would be allowed to testify at the hearings, and footage in which he recounted his military superiors ordering him to kill innocent civilians.
"It edits little clips to make it look like they're just making up instances," said the lawyer, David Kairys, who said Mr. Campbell was not connected with the Kerry campaign.
The film's producer, Carlton A. Sherwood, said in a statement that the complaint was "completely baseless." He said Mr. Campbell was not identified by name in the film.
Lawyers for Mr. Campbell sent letters to Sinclair and to a theater near Philadelphia that was planning to show the film on Tuesday, warning them that the film was defamatory. The theater canceled the showing, citing "pending litigation."
Meanwhile, Jonathan Lieberman, the Washington bureau chief for Sinclair's news division, told CNN last night that he had been fired for publicly objecting to the decision to present the film as news, not commentary, and to run it so close to the election.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Sinclair Broadcast fired its Washington bureau chief, saying he revealed company business when he discussed its upcoming program on a documentary critical of John Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activities.
Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. said in a statement late Monday that it fired reporter Jon Leiberman and that ``we are disappointed that Jon's political views caused him to violate company policy and speak to the press about company business.''
In his initial remarks, published Monday by The (Baltimore) Sun, Leiberman called the Sinclair show "biased political propaganda, with clear intentions to sway this election.''
Leiberman said he was fired Monday by Joseph DeFeo, Sinclair's vice president for news, and escorted out of the company's headquarters in Hunt Valley, Md.
"I was told I violated company policy by divulging information from a staff meeting'' to The Sun, Leiberman said late Monday.
The staff meeting took place Sunday at Sinclair's headquarters, Leiberman said. He said staffers were told that the news division would handle the hourlong show, based on the documentary "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal.''
The 42-minute documentary features former prisoners of war accusing Kerry, a decorated veteran who took up the anti-war cause upon returning from Vietnam, of prolonging the war and worsening their plight. Sinclair said last week it hadn't been decided how much of the documentary would appear in the completed show....
Leiberman, 29, said he told DeFeo he would not participate in preparing the program about the film and that he objected to it being labeled news rather than commentary.
"We have no further comment on the actions of a disgruntled employee or an ongoing personnel matter,'' the Sinclair statement said. ``Viewers can grade Leiberman's opinion versus the reality when the finished product is aired.''
Leiberman said he was not disgruntled and that the company had largely treated him well before now.
"I love what I do, but I love doing news. ... And I just felt like nobody was listening.''
Earlier this month, Sinclair ordered its 62 TV stations across the country to pre-empt regular programming to air the show. In Baltimore, the show airs on Friday; at least some other stations were planning to show it Saturday.
Leiberman was chosen by Sinclair last year to start the company's four-person Washington bureau. He said Sinclair told him that he was fired for cause and would receive no severance.
"I know I stood up for the principles of objectivity,'' he said. "In journalism, all we have is credibility and objectivity.''
