Who’s Really ‘Playing Politics’? by Timothy Karr, Media for Democracy 2004
Sinclair executives give overwhelmingly to Republican causes and candidates. Of the top twenty TV and Radio companies to make political contributions in 2004, Sinclair Broadcasting Group is among the most conservative, giving 98 percent of its $65,434 in political contributions to GOP candidates. Sinclair CEO and President David Smith personally gave $2,000, the maximum individual contribution, to President Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign. …
Sinclair’s snub of “Nightline” — and their disingenuous rationale for the action — smacks of censorship and political manipulation.
McCain Calls Nightline Nix ‘Deeply Offensive’ By CARL HULSE, NYTimes
”There is no valid reason for Sinclair to shirk its responsibility in what I assume is a very misguided attempt to prevent your viewers from completely appreciating the extraordinary sacrifices made on their behalf by Americans serving in Iraq,” Mr. McCain wrote. ”War is an awful, but sometimes necessary business. 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. It is, in short, sir, unpatriotic. I hope it meets with the public opprobrium it most certainly deserves.” …
”I supported the president’s decision to go to war in Iraq, and remain a strong supporter of that decision,” Mr. McCain’s letter said. ”But every American has a responsibility to understand fully the terrible costs of war and the extraordinary sacrifices it requires of those brave men and women who volunteer to defend the rest of us.”
Sinclair Responds to Senator McCain
In fact, we will be replacing ”Nightline” this evening with a balanced report addressing both sides of this controversy. … lest there be any doubt about ”Nightline’s” motivation, both Mr. Koppel and ”Nightline’s” executive producer have acknowledged that tonight’s episode was
influenced by the Life Magazine article listing the names of dead soldiers in Vietnam, which article was widely credited with furthering the opposition to the Vietnam war and with creating a backlash of public opinion against the members of the U.S. military who had proudly served in that conflict.
Sincerely yours,
David D. Smith
CEO [and Bush contributor]