Return to Nicholas Johnson, "Sinclair’s Political Advocacy and the Public Interest," Don Shelby WCCO-AM Interview, October 12, 2004
 
 

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Sinclair's management had told managers of its stations three weeks ago to plan to broadcast a program devoted almost entirely to the controversial film Stolen Honor, Wounds that Never Heal. The film accuses Sen. John Kerry of betraying his fellow Vietnam War veterans, particularly prisoners of war, by protesting that war after he returned home in 1969.

On Tuesday, the Sinclair plan was partly responsible for threats of legal action from some shareholders. They're upset about a sharp drop in the company's stock, which they say was partially due to the controversy over Stolen Honor. Sinclair's stock closed Tuesday at $6.26. It has fallen more than 50% this year.

But late Tuesday afternoon, Sinclair announced that this Friday most of its stations will air "a special one-hour news program entitled A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media." It said the program "will focus in part on the use of documentaries and other media to influence voting." Sinclair said portions of Stolen Honor would be shown, but only as part of "the broader discussion" about the media.

Sinclair's original plan brought protests from Kerry's supporters. The Kerry campaign complained to the Federal Election Commission, saying the program would be an illegal "in-kind" contribution to the Bush-Cheney campaign. It pointed out that several of Sinclair's top executives are big contributors to Republican campaigns. The FEC is not expected to take up the complaint before Election Day.

On Monday, the controversy cost Sinclair's Washington bureau chief his job. Jon Leiberman, 29, was fired for telling The Sun of Baltimore that he had refused to be part of the program. Leiberman told The Sun he felt Sinclair's decision to air much of Stolen Honor was evidence of "biased political propaganda, with clear intentions to sway this election."

The Kerry campaign isn't satisfied with Sinclair's new plan. "Sinclair Broadcasting has been all over the map on this issue. One thing that's certain is that they have a partisan agenda. It remains to be seen whether they decide to put their own narrow interest ahead of the public's trust," said Chad Clanton, a campaign spokesman.

In its statement, the company said that "at no time did Sinclair ever publicly announce that it intended" to air all or most of the film. But Mark Hyman, a Sinclair vice president who also does conservative commentaries that air on the company's stations, had told The Washington Post, in a story published Oct. 11, that Stolen Honor "is a powerful story." Hyman, who was defending Sinclair against critics' charges of pro-Bush bias, told the Post "it would be irresponsible" to ignore the charges leveled at Kerry in the film.

And the film's maker, independent journalist and security consultant Carlton Sherwood, had posted a poll on his Web site — www.stolenhonor.com — asking visitors for their opinion of the company's "intent to air Stolen Honor on all 62 of their television stations during prime time."

Sherwood shared a Pulitzer Prize in 1980 when he was a reporter with Gannett News Service, which like USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co. More recently, he has worked for a security company that does contract work for the Department of Homeland Security.

Sinclair executives were warned by the company's journalists Sunday that the program would have to be about more than Stolen Honor if the company wanted to protect its credibility. Reporters and editors at Sinclair's headquarters are now in charge of producing the program, which will air on most Sinclair stations at 7 or 8 p.m. (local times) Friday.

Leiberman said Tuesday that he is convinced Sinclair also altered its plans because of outside pressure. Sinclair executives did not respond to interview requests Tuesday.

The pressures grew Tuesday:

•Attorney William Lerach, one of the nation's top lawyers on lawsuits brought by shareholders against corporations, said he was notifying Sinclair that he represents shareholders who might sue. The shareholders believe the Stolen Honor controversy has hurt their investments and also suspect some executives may be guilty of "insider trading" because they sold thousands of shares late last year and early this year, when the stock was at its peak.

•Media Matters for America, a watchdog group, said it was underwriting a potential lawsuit by shareholders who think the controversy has hurt the company.

•Deborah Rappaport, who along with her husband has donated millions of dollars to liberal causes in recent years, announced she was offering Sinclair Broadcast Group more than $1 million to broadcast Going Upriver, a film more sympathetic to Kerry's Vietnam War experience.