Text follows.
Good morning,
In light of your advertising appearing on television stations owned by the Sinclair group, I am going to have to stop buying your products and services as a result of Sinclair’s demands that its stations air a film that demeans a presidential candidate and the integrity of the election itself.
As you are doubtless aware, the Sinclair group has ordered it’s stations to replace their regular primetime programming between now and the election with a documentary film that purports to show the Democratic challenger in a negative light[1]. Regardless of your political affiliations, propaganda has no place on the publicly-owned airwaves and the timing leaves no doubt as to the intention of this action.
Additionally, Mark Hyman, Sinclair’s VP of Corporate Relations[2], has compared the national broadcasters to “Holocaust deniers[3]”, a move that has drawn a sharp condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League[4]. I don’t think this is the kind of discourse we need in this country and I urge you to find some other outlet for your advertising. I can assure I will not do any business with you or anyone else who supports this kind of behavior.
The stock argument I have been hearing is that this film, by an award-winning documentary filmmaker, is no different from Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11: it doesn’t hold up. Moore’s film has not been broadcast and no one has been surprised to find it on the TV screen in lieu of their regularly-scheduled viewing. This is an abuse of the public airwaves and of the public trust: we have granted the over-the-air rights to broadcasters for free — unlike the cell-phone providers who have paid for their portion of the spectrum at auction — and for that, we have every right to expect a clear enough presentation of the facts to make informed decisions. Sinclair doesn’t seem to believe in those principles and I expect their routine license renewals will become anything but routine when they come up for review.
Again, I urge you to make your feelings known to your local Sinclair affiliate and if they refuse to change their plans, I hope you will take your business elsewhere.
Thank you for your time.
fn1. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/11/politics/campaign/11film.html?ei=5006&en=a672757b8863ace3&ex=1098158400&partner=ALTAVISTA1&pagewanted=print&position=
fn2. http://www.newscentral.tv/station/bios/mhyman.shtml
fn3. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/12/ltm.04.html
fn4. http://www.adl.org/media_watch/newspapers/20041011-WashPost.htm