More DNC censorship attempts. Oh, and not so veiled threats of retribution.
Sinclair and Double Standards
October 13, 2004; Page A16
We haven't seen "Stolen Honor," the documentary on Senator John Kerry's post-Vietnam antiwar activities that's causing such a brouhaha in advance of its scheduled airing later this month. Sinclair Broadcast Group doesn't own a station in our metro New York City market, though we're now tempted to hop on a plane to Buffalo or St. Louis to check out what all the fuss is about.
Of course, if Dianne Feinstein and 17 other Democratic Senators have their way, Buffalonians and St. Louisans won't get to see it either. The Senators have written a letter of protest to the Federal Communications Commission. "To allow a broadcasting company to air such a blatantly partisan attack in lieu of regular programming, and to classify that attack as 'news programming' as has been suggested, would violate the spirit, and we think the text, of current law and regulation," they write.
Meanwhile, Terry McAuliffe called the program "an illegal in-kind contribution" to the Bush campaign and said the Democratic National Committee is filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission. Over at the FCC, Democratic Commissioner Michael Copps interrupted his Columbus Day holiday to dub the broadcast "an abuse of the public trust." More ominously, Kerry adviser Chad Clanton told Fox News yesterday that "I think they (Sinclair) are going to regret doing this, and they better hope we don't win." Perhaps Mr. Clanton is auditioning for the H.R. Haldeman seat in the Nixon, er, Kerry White House.
...
Full column: online.wsj.com |
