With the reelection of George W. Bush, however, Sinclair is emboldened. The steady stream of one-sided editorials signal that rather than give up, the media giant is redoubling its efforts and so are its critics. FCC commissioner Michael Copps noted, with remarkable foresight, in a 2001 decision to fine Sinclair for willfully exceeding the commission's one-TV-station-per-market limit: "Sinclair has crossed the line into behavior that the majority has found to violate the commission's rules. In assessing a fine on Sinclair for this violation, the majority purports to stop the expansion of Sinclair's forays... but in fact it merely points out that lines have been crossed, while allowing Sinclair to run over those lines and to continue its multiple ownership strategy."
Now, a new coalition called Sinclair Action has emerged with a mission to "Protest Sinclair Bias and Misuse of Public Airwaves." AlterNet is a founding member of the group, which includes: Media Matters for America, Outfoxed creator Robert Greenwald, MoveOn.org, MediaChannel.org, Free Press, Working Assets, and the Institute for America's Future.
At 10:30 A.M. (EST) today, three things will happen. First, the coalition will send a letter to Sinclair's CEO, David D. Smith, urging him to adhere to traditional broadcasting standards: "We believe that you are falling short of your own standards standards that news broadcasters should certainly uphold... The fairest way to remedy this situation is for Sinclair to provide a meaningful opportunity for those with an opposing point of view to respond to editions of the 'The Point.'"
A second letter will be sent to major sponsors of the station making them aware of Sinclair's inability to meet traditional broadcasting standards and asking that they work with the members of Sinclair Action to urge Sinclair to balance its perspective.
Finally, David Brock of Media Matters, Timothy Karr of MediaChannel.org and Robert Greenwald will hold a press conference to announce the launch of a nationwide campaign aimed at drawing attention to the conservative slant in Sinclair Broadcasting's "The Point" because, as Sinclair has said, "We do not believe political statements should be disguised as news content."
We couldn't have said it better ourselves
