Kucinich disinvited by NBC
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/01/11/kucinich_disinvited_by_nbc/2537/Published: Jan. 11, 2008 at 9:11 PM
NEW YORK, Jan. 11 (UPI) --
Long shot presidential contender Dennis Kucinich has lashed out at NBC for disinviting
him from an upcoming Nevada presidential debate. The Ohio congressman says he is considering
taking legal action against the network, The Hill reported Friday.
NBC had invited Kucinich on Jan. 9, but rescinded its invitation Friday, when NBC Political
Director Chuck Todd told the Kucinich campaign that the network was "redoing" its participation
criteria, according to the campaign. Kucinich had qualified to participate in debate by coming
in fourth in a national poll with 3 percent.
NBC changed its criteria to focus the debate on the three national front-runners: Sens. Hillary
Clinton of New York, Barack Obama of Illinois and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.
In a statement, the Kucinich campaign cited "the blatant disregard of the public interest in
silencing public debate" that dissents with the views of NBC and its parent company, General Electric."When 'big media' exert their unbridled control over what Americans can see, hear, and read,
then the Constitutional power and right of the citizens to vote is being vetoed by
multibillion-(dollar) corporations that want the votes to go their way," the campaign said.
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Please email NBC. Feel free to copy.
NBC/MSNBC, I object to your exclusion of Congressman Dennis Kucinich from the NBC/MSNBC Presidential debate on January 15, 2008. Mr. Kucinich, whom you invited and subsequently un-invited to the debate, is a presidential candidate who has fulfilled all Federal Elections Commission Criteria.
I remind you that you have been granted a license in order to operate.
I accuse you of violating and breaching the trust given to you by that license. I accuse you of tampering with the election and attempting to change the outcome of the election by excluding Dennis Kucinich.
I demand that you include Congressman Kucinich in the NBC Democratic debate of January 15, 2008 and all subsequent debates. The majority of the American people depend on television to be informed.
I remind you, therefore that if you do not include Mr. Kucinich in the aforementioned debate, you will be inflicting damages on the American people by depriving them of their right to be informed before making their decision to vote, (in addition to other damages) and inflicting damages on the Honorable Kucinich.
NBC/MSNBC: 212-664-4444
Email NBC/MSNBC: letters@msnbc.com