NEW YORK, October 13, 2004 -- While Sinclair Broadcast Group is allowed to use the public airwaves for free, it shouldn't come at such a heavy cost to Americans.

Sinclair executives have threatened to abuse this most vital public trust by forcing upon Americans a piece of propaganda meant to serve their narrow business interests.

In repeated media appearances, Sinclair's vice president of corporate relations, Mark Hyman, has billed "Stolen Honor" as worthy of broadcast solely because of its "real news" value. But, Sinclair's track record on political contributions suggests that executives at the company have another agenda in mind.

In 2004, Sinclair executives have given overwhelmingly to those GOP candidates who have demonstrated their support for loosening media ownership restrictions, thereby allowing Sinclair to control more stations in more local markets across the country. Sinclair CEO and President David Smith personally gave $2,000, the maximum individual contribution, to President Bush's 2004 re-election campaign. (See the MediaChannel Report.)

The only "real news" we're witnessing here is a story of Big Media at its most despicable. It would be nice to be able to write off "Stolen Honor" as journalistic amateurism and turn our attention to more valid investigations of the issues this election year. But we live with a media system where the gatekeeper has allowed a single corporate entity not only to own "competing" media outlets in markets throughout the country, but also to seize control of the content on their airwaves in a heavy-handed attempt to influence this year's election outcome.

The "real news" is a Big Media system that has become a menace to our democracy. Americans granted these media companies our very first constitutional protection. In return, many commercial broadcasters have short changed American democracy by putting their corporate interests before those of the public.

Unfortunately, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been lax in ensuring that bad actors such as Sinclair are held to a more meaningful set of public interest obligations, including a minimum of fair coverage of electoral and civic affairs. Free from the consequences of a more forceful FCC, media companies like Sinclair will continue to push their extreme bias onto the public.

It's now time that the public turns the tables on Sinclair. Along with the other groups here today, MediaChannel and Media for Democracy have issued a challenge that Sinclair uphold its obligation to the public interest by offering on all 62 of its stations an equal amount of pre-election, prime-viewing airtime for the broadcast of a program that is controlled by those representing an opposing view to "Stolen Honor."

But there's more that we can, and will, do. If Sinclair doesn't act now to repair its shoddy intentions on behalf of the public, MediaChannel and Media for Democracy pledge to mobilize local activists against the 62 stations that operate under Sinclair's banner. We already have more than 21,000 activists on the ground in Sinclair markets. More citizens across the nation are responding with a willingness to take action if this station group moves ahead with "Stolen Honor." Actions will include comprehensive monitoring of Sinclair stations, call-in campaigns to station general managers and news directors, public forums and meetings to reach others and educate the community about Sinclair's public interest obligations, and, if necessary, a formal challenge to Sinclair license renewals, station by station, when they come due.

I am confident that with some hard work, American citizens will win back their airwaves one station at a time. MediaChannel.org and Media for Democracy promise to stay involved every step of the way to help Americans settle the issue of who will control our media and to what end.

-- Timothy Karr is the executive director of MediaChannel.org and Media for Democracy 2004. The preceding is Karr's statement during an October 13 press conference on Sinclair Broadcasting Group convened by MediaChannel.org, Common Cause, the Alliance for Better Campaigns, Media Access Project, Media for Democracy, and the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ.

© MediaChannel.org, 2004. All rights reserved.

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