Conason: Sinclair Censors Koppel, Decency

Scarcely any topic animates chattering conservatives quite like a vigorous discussion of "character" and the related deficiencies of decadent liberalism. What we saw prominently displayed last week, however, were certain of the least attractive aspects of the modern conservative character—as exposed by the decision of Sinclair Broadcast Group executives to censor the reading of the names of America’s war dead on the ABC News program Nightline.

The behavior of the Sinclair executives provided a glimpse of the authoritarian personality in power, as well as the kind of future they apparently envision for the nation.

(snip)

"Our decision was based on a desire to stop the misuse of their sacrifice to support an anti-war position with which most, if not all, of these soldiers would not have agreed," as Mr. Smith explained. "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." Perhaps Mr. Smith believes that Memorial Day is a left-wing plot, too.

The Sinclair suits should tell it to the gentleman who called Nightline’s offices the day before the broadcast to make sure that Mr. Koppel would include the name of his 23-year-old son-in-law, who had just been killed in Falluja. As he explained how to pronounce the dead soldier’s name, and how important this was to his family, the man began to weep, and so did the ABC staffer who was diligently taking notes.

(snip)

The political highlight of the nightly Sinclair feed is commentary by Mark Hyman, a company spokesman who doubles on camera as a dull facsimile of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. The corporate viewpoint as articulated by Mr. Hyman is the only opinion deemed fit for broadcast by the Sinclair suits. Unconstrained by the old "fairness doctrine," they can impose their obsessions and opinions on the public airwaves without acknowledging any alternative viewpoint.

more…
http://www.nyobserver.com/pages/conason.asp