Author Topic: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted  (Read 3070 times)

Offline Force Guy

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ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« on: April 29, 2004, 09:33 PM »
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Sinclair Stations to Boycott 'Nightline' Tribute
Thu Apr 29, 2004 09:07 PM ET
   
By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A major television chain, the Sinclair Broadcast Group, will bar its ABC-affiliated stations from airing a planned "Nightline" tribute to fallen U.S. troops in Iraq, saying the program is a political statement disguised as news.

ABC News plans to devote Friday's entire "Nightline" segment to the tribute, with anchor Ted Koppel reading aloud the names of hundreds of fallen American servicemen and women as their photographs are shown.

The network's intentions drew a denunciation from Sinclair, a Baltimore-based owner of 62 television stations in 39 markets reaching roughly 24 percent of U.S. television households.

Sinclair said the "Nightline" segment "appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq."

In a statement posted on its Web site, the broadcast group accused Koppel and his show of seeking to "highlight only one aspect of the war effort and in doing so to influence public opinion against the military action in Iraq."

An ABC News spokeswoman said Sinclair's decision to preempt Friday's "Nightline" on its stations would remove the program in at least seven markets -- St. Louis, Missouri; Columbus, Ohio; Charleston, West Virginia; Pensacola, Florida; Springfield, Massachusetts and Asheville and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Sticking to its plans, ABC News issued its own statement defending the planned broadcast as "an expression of respect which simply seeks to honor those who have laid down their lives for this country."

In an interview with Internet media report Poynteronline, Koppel himself rejected the notion that he was out to make a political point.

"Just look at these people. Look at their names. And look at their ages. Consider what they've done for you. Honor them," Koppel said. "I truly believe that people will take away from this program the reflection of what they bring to it."

Sinclair's boycott drew a sharp rebuke from U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, a New York Democrat and leading congressional critic of newly relaxed media ownership regulations adopted last year by the Federal Communications Commission.

"The decision by Sinclair ... to keep this program off its stations is being made by a corporation with a political agenda without regard to the wants or needs of its viewers," Hinchey said. "This move may be providing a chilling look into the future if we allow media ownership to be consolidated into fewer and fewer hands."

The Washington-based liberal think tank the Center for American Progress cited campaign contribution reports showing Sinclair executives have donated more than $130,000 to President Bush and his political allies since 2000.

The network initially said the 30-minute telecast would be limited acknowledging only the 523 U.S. troops killed in combat since the start of the war in March 3002. But on Thursday, ABC said it would expand the program to 40 minutes to include another 200 or more Americans who died as a result of accidents, friendly fire or suicide.

ABC is a unit of the Walt Disney Co.
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Offline Famine

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #1 on: April 29, 2004, 10:18 PM »
There is a time and a place, and now is not it.

I did not, and will not watch this.

It's my way of showing repsect for those who lost people. I won't let them become political pawns, especialy for publicity.

Kevin
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Offline Rob

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #2 on: April 29, 2004, 10:25 PM »

It's my way of showing repsect for those who lost people. I won't let them become political pawns, especialy for publicity.

Kevin

They also shouldn't be swept under the rug because it would be bad for Bush.  How is pretending they aren't dead making them less of a political pawn?  They died in a controversial war and one raging during the election season.  I don't think there is any way around it - from BOTH sides of the debate.  Wanting to talk about it or not wanting to talk about it is in some way good or bad for some political party.

And that's the real shame here.

Offline Famine

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2004, 10:40 PM »
They also shouldn't be swept under the rug because it would be bad for Bush.  How is pretending they aren't dead making them less of a political pawn?  They died in a controversial war and one raging during the election season.  I don't think there is any way around it - from BOTH sides of the debate.  Wanting to talk about it or not wanting to talk about it is in some way good or bad for some political party.

And that's the real shame here.

I don't pretent that they aren't dead. I say a prayer, each and every day for God to watch our Men and Women overseas, and to protect those who have died, fighting for their country.

It may be bad for our President, but who is it not bad for? We lost fellow American citizens. The time to honor them will come, but now this time, while the war is still going, needs to be a time for their familys.

Thats the only point I wish to make.

Kevin
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Offline Rob

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2004, 10:57 PM »
Fair enough.  And I'll keep from getting heated by just saying that I think I covered it above.  The war was controversial to begin with - and those folks (along with about 12,000 others) are dead because of it.

And boycotting a program that was a tribute because some republican television broadcasting guy thinks it's political - is a political move in and of itself.

There's just no getting around it, it's politicized no matter how you slice it - that's all I'm saying.

Offline Dressel Rebel

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2004, 01:33 AM »
This should not be aired.  It's just more liberal anti-war/anti-Bush messages.  Good job by the exec to keep this from happening.  The liberals are becoming desperate and shameless.

If it were really about the fallen troops in the War on Terror, they would not be airing the "Fallen Troops in Iraq;" rather, they'd be airing all of the fallen troops combined in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The fact that they're leaving our troops who died battling Taliban and Al Qaeda off of this show, is just more proof of what these liberals were REALLY up to.

So I'm glad they got stopped dead in their tracks.  That's the way it ought to be.
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Offline Sprry75

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #6 on: April 30, 2004, 09:46 AM »
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The liberals are becoming desperate and shameless.

Unlike the GOP, who would never do anything like stooping to politicize tragedy by, for instance, putting images of the smoldering wreckage in NYC or the bodies of dead firefighters in President Bush's commercials... ::)

At least the ABC report falls under the auspices of journalism--whether you like owning up to the fact that Bush's stupid war has cost thousands of lives or not, that is news, and the public has every right to see what the cost of Bush's foreign policy has really been.

But I know where this is headed, and I suppose that when the bugs are worked out at another site ( ;) ) we can finish the discussion over there.

I'm done here.
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Offline Dressel Rebel

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #7 on: April 30, 2004, 10:10 AM »


But I know where this is headed, and I suppose that when the bugs are worked out at another site ( ;) ) we can finish the discussion over there.

I'm done here.

Ditto.  Except I won't be finishing the discussion at 'scum.  I'll swing by in November when President Bush is re-elected to collect my props though.
« Last Edit: April 30, 2004, 10:13 AM by Dressel Rebel »
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Offline Rob

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #8 on: April 30, 2004, 10:23 AM »
This should not be aired.  It's just more liberal anti-war/anti-Bush messages.

Nah, if the same program were airing on FOX News, you'd be singing it's praises and touting it as a great tribute to our fallen heroes - who deserve a tribute - but actually talking about these folks paints a bad picture for the President - so this Republican mogule of the liberal media decided to not air it.

But whatever - I too can see where this is headed - I'll be leaving the thread from here on out.
« Last Edit: April 30, 2004, 10:40 AM by Kneel Before Zod »

Offline Force Guy

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #9 on: April 30, 2004, 12:17 PM »
It's interesting to note that Sinclair Broadcast Group is/was a huge Bush/Cheney campaign contributor.  They have donated over $120,000 in soft money to the Bush campaign, along with almost $20,000 in hard money.  But according to Sinclair, it's ABC that is making this situation political.  :rolleyes:  

Anyway, here's my final thought on the matter:  if Bush didn't want this war to be politicized, he shouldn't have gotten us involved in Iraq in the first place.  The FACT of the matter is our troops are dying EVERYDAY.  Heck, practically an entire batallion of marines was killed outside of Fallujah in the last two weeks.    
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Offline Dressel Rebel

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #10 on: April 30, 2004, 01:00 PM »
I hope this thread is locked soon.

The last thing I want to see is a political debate here.
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Offline DSJ™

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #11 on: April 30, 2004, 01:13 PM »
Well it seems that no one wants this to get into a political debate or have this turned into a flame war, I will this.  ;)

Normal broadcasting may resume.  :-*

Offline JediMAC

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #12 on: April 30, 2004, 01:26 PM »
The last thing I want to see is a political debate here.

...and neither do we.  We generally don't roll with the political discussion here at JD, since we all know what it usually snowballs into.   ;)  We let a couple W & P threads go for a little while last week so folks could make their points on some important topics.  But once it starts getting into more of a back and forth discussion/debate/argument, we just wind up nipping it in the bud and locking it down before things get too heated.

Not that anyone's getting out of line here really, but since you've all made your initial observations and we're more into the "discussion phase" now (and I don't think I've ever seen any of you actually change the mind of the guys on the "other side"), we'll probably just go ahead and lock this one down now before it gets too exciting.

I know Scum's W & P thread is a little goofy right now with their forum upgrade, but it's just general JD policy to avoid some of these "hot topics" here, so I hope you guys understand.   :-*

- Matt
« Last Edit: April 30, 2004, 01:48 PM by JediMAC »

Offline JediMAC

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #13 on: April 30, 2004, 01:27 PM »
That's what I get for being too damned verbose.

Dale beat me to it...   :P

Offline DSJ™

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Re: ABC 'Nightline' Tribute to our fallen troops boycotted
« Reply #14 on: April 30, 2004, 01:36 PM »
 ;)   :-*   :P