Sinclair Broadcasting Censors War in Iraq

Dear Indybay Readers:

Last week an enormous controversy surrounded Sinclair Broadcasting's decision not to
air ABC's Nightline on Friday, a program that recognized the U.S. servicemen and
women who have died in Iraq. Numerous prominent Americans, including Senator John
McCain [R-AZ], strongly criticized Sinclair for its actions.

There is an important issue here that goes to the root of the problem of today's
media: the sheer corruption of our policymaking process has put far too much power
in the hands of reckless media conglomerates. The decision by Sinclair not to air
the tribute to the fallen soldiers wasn't a journalistic decision; it was a business
decision awash in politics.

Sinclair doesn't want to broadcast material that it thinks will put the Bush
Administration in a bad light, because Sinclair is deeply connected to the Bush
Administration. Its top executives have flooded the Bush-Cheney campaign coffers
with contributions: $16,000 in hard money and more than $120,000 in soft money to
Bush and his allies. In return the Bush Administration has supported relaxing media
ownership rules, which would allow Sinclair to gobble up more TV stations. It's
corrupt policymaking; whether those policymakers are Democrats or Republicans is
immaterial.

This is not a free market. Sinclair is granted government monopoly licenses to
scarce channels (at no charge) to engage in TV broadcasting. There's tremendous
amount of profit at stake for Sinclair if it can own more stations: Less competition
means less pressure to produce expensive programs that the public might want -- like
quality news -- and more power to bombard people with material they don't want, like
advertising.

Sinclair and Media Ownership Rules

In June 2003 the FCC voted 3-2 to deliver the goods to Sinclair and its corporate
media cronies by radically relaxing media ownership rules. A Federal Court put the
FCC's revised media ownership rules on hold in September, so it could consider
whether the FCC had actually interpreted the statute correctly. We'll know its
decision any day now. And we'll keep you posted on developments as they happen. It's
imperative that we act quickly and strategically as soon as the Federal Court ruling
is released.

The important lesson from the Sinclair incident is this: if the rules changes go
through, huge companies like Sinclair and Clear Channel will be able to dramatically
expand the number of TV stations and other media they own. Instead of keeping
Nightline off of eight stations, Sinclair could keep it off dozens. Eventually
programs like the tribute to fallen soldiers will no longer be produced because no
station will carry them.

Free Press and the Fight


Free Press is responding to the recent actions of Sinclair by lauching an
investigation into how well
Sinclair stations have been serving the public interest. We also continue to do what
we can to stop the ownership rules from being loosened, and are addressing other
important media policy issues such as spectrum allocation and cable rates. Go to the
Free Press website, http://www.freepress.net, to learn more about what we and others
are doing.

Free Press exists because a future where owners like Sinclair can stifle important
content is unacceptable. And that's why media reform activism is exploding across
this nation.

We need your help in this fight. Please donate to the Free Press Action Fund so we
can continue to respond to actions like Sinclair's (if you do, we'll send you a free
copy of my new book, The Problem of the Media). You can donate online by visiting
http://www.freepress.net/support . Learn about how to challenge Sinclair and other
TV station licenses by downloading a PDF on the renewal process at
http://www.bettercampaigns.org/freeairtime/factsheets/LicenseRenewals.pdf . And pass
this email along to any friends or lists you think might be concerned about these
issues. Organized people can defeat organized money; in fact, it's the only thing
that ever has. Together we will be victorious.

Sincerely,

Robert W. McChesney
President, Free Press
http://www.freepress.net