COUNTERPOINT UPDATE: A MINOR VICTORY

Sinclair Broadcasting as finally admitted it can't get away with airing "Stolen Honor" in its uninterrupted, commercial-free entireity. Pressure from a variety of sources (shareholders chief among them) have forced the Smiths and Mark Hyman to scale back their plans. They now want to air a "special" on POWs, documentaries, and their affect on the election.

This is basically just a way of putting a more friendly face on what is still clearly an attempt to influence the outcome of the election (hence the qualifier of "minor" in "minor victory"). Our position is that this is a call for more action, not less.

What we're dealing with is precisely what those of us worried about media consolidation have been concerned about for a long time: the ability of a small group (in this case, a single family), to use their media holdings as a platform for propaganda. In other words, we're on the slippery slope right now. We need to keep the pressure on Sinclair on the "Stolen Honor" issue, as well as press the larger issue of media consolidation. There's a chance to use this episode as proof that the loosening of media ownership regulations (championed by Sinclair and ushered through Congress by their Republican friends) have a demonstrably negative effect on the democratic process.

Here's a link to a story on latest Sinclair waffling. Now, it's time to put them away.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200410200001