Sinclair fallout continues

A documentary producer has offered Sinclair free use of a pro-Kerry production to balance its airing of an attack piece. Sinclair advertisers are now posted on the web, and activists are getting instruction on how to use them as a pressure point. And another ex-Commissioner has weighed in on the topic.

Paul Alexander is said to be offering Sinclair the use of his "Brothers in Arms," a documentary which, like "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," looks at Kerry's activities connected to the Vietnam War. Alexander contends that if Sinclair is interested in providing its viewers with a balanced look at Kerry, they'll accept his offer.

Meanwhile, an entire cottage industry has sprung up in protest to Sinclair. A website called Boycott Sinclair Broadcast Group goes so far as to list Sinclair advertisers. Another blog suggests that viewers within range of a Sinclair station watch its local news program, jot down all of the local advertisers and express to them, politely, your displeasure with the "SH:WTNH" broadcast.

Finally, as predicted (and it didn't take long), calls for restoration of the Fairness Doctrine have begun. Among the first to get on the record is former FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani, now Managing Director of the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ. "Sinclair Broadcasting's plans to show an anti-Kerry documentary days before the presidential election demand restoring the personal attack rule and the Fairness Doctrine," she said.

RBR observation:
Sorry Gloria, but you're as off-base today as you were when you served on the FCC. So what if Sinclair broadcasts a slanted documentary that bashes Sen. Kerry? So what if CBS airs a report bashing President Bush that turns out to be based on fake documents? There is no place in the country where a market has only one TV station (not to mention 100+ cable and satellite channels). People are free to choose what they want to watch or listen to - - and how much credence to give what they see or hear. It looks like Sinclair is going to pay a price in some lost ad revenues for its programming decision, just as CBS News has suffered a loss of some of its credibility. That's how the marketplace of ideas works. Rush Limbaugh spews forth three hours of biased broadcasting every day on radio - - and so does Al Franken. Can you imagine how dull and lifeless both shows would be if the misnamed Fairness Doctrine and personal attack rules were brought back to muzzle lively debate on America's airwaves?