Sinclair Broadcasting has chosen to preempt ABC's Nightline. In a chilling attack, one of the principal government overseers of the communications industry, Senator John McCain of the Senate Commerce Committee (which has oversight responsibility for the FCC), has publicly complained about how Sinclair chooses to exercise its right to free speech by not providing an anti-war forum for the suits at ABCNews. In a very succinct explanation of why Sinclair is choosing instead to air a program discussing the costs and benefits of our presence in Iraq, David D. Smith, Sinclair Chairman writes to Senator McCain:
It is "Nightline's" failure to present the entire story, however, to which Sinclair objects. "Nightline" is not reporting news; it is doing nothing more than making a political statement. In simply reading the names of our fallen heroes, this program has adopted a strategy employed by numerous anti-war demonstrators who wish to focus attention solely on the cost of war. In fact, 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.Sinclair has decided to neither adopt nor promote ABC's agenda. Good for them. McCain should be ashamed for pressuring them to do otherwise.
