7 major markets ban Nightline; welcome to 1984

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 10:58am

Just when the war coverage couldn't become any more surreal -- or Orwellian -- Sinclair B'casting has opted to black out the Nightline edition honoring the war dead in seven national markets. What's startling is the sheer audacity of deciding FOR their audience. For the sake of the argument, let's say the show is "political," per their charge, i.e. it could provoke a negative reaction to the Bush Administration decision to go to/handling of, the war in Iraq. Welcome to America. A year ago, every TV station in the free world -- underline free -- showed our President landing in front of Mission Accomplished. Political "statements" are forever a part of the news, as per FOX running the fall of Saddam's statue in an endless loop last year.

What possible definition of freedom -- of speech or anything else -- does this support? We fought the war in Iraq theoretically to set up a stable, true democracy in the middle east. (That's the reason di giorno in the absence of WMD.) Democracy, as Rumsfeld et all report, is messy. You cannot "control" it. That means there must be a flow of ideas, even those you disagree with. Since we cannot manage the propaganda machine in the Arab world, the Bush supporters -- as Sinclair admits to being -- are controlling how we report on the deaths. This goes beyond the Dover coffin black-out; this is a friend of the Administration literally choosing how the Iraq war and its deaths are presented. What an insidious cop-out to label this as a reaction to "politics."

I would hope that many Republicans, even those well aware of the impact of a 40 minute roll of deaths, would denounce this as a strategy of the regime -- Saddam Hussein's -- that we went to such bloody lengths to end. The irony of such ham-fisted, Fascist tactics turning up in our media would be funny if it weren't so disturbing -- and if the situation inspiring it wasn't 700 dead Americans.

Updated On: 4/30/04 at 10:58 AM

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 11:26am

This is possibly a new low.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 11:29am

"Political "statements" are forever a part of the news, as per FOX running the fall of Saddam's statue in an endless loop last year."

An event, I might add, that was restaged and choreographed for the cameras.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 11:32am

It's sickening. This administration is getting closer and closer to fascism.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 11:37am

You think that's bad, the same week here in Washington, a fifteen year old was reprimanded for drawing a picture of Saddam Hussein with Bush's head on a stick: The teacher went to the principal, the principal went to the school police, the police went to the city police, who went to--get this--the Secret Service who came out to this small town to question this young man. About what I have no idea. The last we heard, the young man was being "punished" for drawing this picture in art class. He is not being suspended, however.
The Bush regime and the hysteria it has caused has turned the U.S. into the closest thing this country has ever seen to a facist regime. I weep with shame for this country.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 11:43am

I'm serious. Check this out.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 11:46am

"We do these investigations all the time."

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 12:13pm

If he had drawn the head of John Kerry on a stick, would the same punitive scenario have ensued? Who are we kidding.

Updated On: 4/30/04 at 12:13 PM

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 12:40pm

Well, to be fair, John Kerry is NOT President of the United States. While the notion of going after a kid drawing a picture is ridiculous, there IS a diifference in how we react to perceived threats against the actual President that we don't do for his political collagues or adversaries.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 1:43pm

wait, jp as the voice of reason? are those horse i hear?

i think that someone should be finding out which member of the sinclair group has ties to the administration. i bet it's that dick cheney, he's got his finger in so many pies. or, they might just believe their statement, as strange as it is.

the thing that makes me wonder about this is, why have abc's lawyers not made hay out of this? also, if people are as upset about this is you folks, then they should be contacting the sinclair group.

of course to me, them's their stations. if'n they don't like that ted koppel, they don't have to show him. if people don't like it they can do their best to affect the media group's bottom line which is the only way to effect change in a corporation.

Updated On: 4/30/04 at 01:43 PM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 6:49pm

But Papa, what about all the outrage over Janet's nekid titty? Everyone announced the networks as "public airways," and said we have to be "responsible." God forbid responsible means honoring dead or golly, just showing the cost of a war that was promised to be all about shock and awe. The final word came from the VP of Sinclair, who said he has a "responsibility to their viewers -- to not show propaganda masquerading as news..." Has he watched the May 1st Carrier footage lately? I love the hubris of hiding yet again behind "responsible." I'm waiting for someone to say this roll call of the dead is like shouting fire in a crowded theater. That's the basic philosophy toward any critical news in this admin. Disagree, you're unpatriotic; question our decisions, you aren't "supporting the troops."

As for supporting those troops, alive and dead -- two more today, for those of us who think the numbers matter -- I'm with at least one of your Republican spokespersons, the Veteran and Senator John McCain, who voiced being "deeply offended" by the decision of Sinclair. As well as the rather conservative spokesman for the Vets of For. Wars, an org. who strongly support the decision to honor the dead on the anniversary of the war's "end."

In the "fire" shouting olympics that have ensued, both USA Today and the Washington Post -- horrible, lefty rags that they are -- published the pictures of the April dead today. Admittedly powerful symbols of what happens during any war, when shock and awe won't suffice.

I'll be watching tonight, and make no mistake, supporting our troops. As I pray for them and their families, I only hope that a year from now, there won't be so many that such a show isn't possible.

Updated On: 4/30/04 at 06:49 PM

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 6:51pm

Sing it, Auggie!!!

[WindyCityActor]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 8:26pm

To be honest, I don't think it going to get any better.

I'm voting for Kerry, but I also think enough folks are just either scared (regardless of the cause of that fear) or just plain apathetic about current events...so they will stick with Bush.

I predict it's going to be a very close race.

Folks want to stick with the familiar, like a battered spouse will stick with their abuser.

What worries me are the two US ciizens which are being denied legal representation while they are being indefinately detained as security risks. Whether they are guilty or not, they should have their day in court.

If this is allowed to go unchallenged, it means that any US citizen can be held without counsel for any length of time, if the administration considers them to be a security risk.

Based upon, the administration's current stance of assuming that anyone against them is "unpatriotic," we are not far from desenting voices being silenced. Would it ever reach that state?....probably not...but it's a huge club hold over people.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 4/30/04 at 11:51pm

Listening to Ted Koppel read the names and seeing the photos of the people who have died is very moving. And very effective at making the scope of the loss more real. No wonder the White House didn't want it to air.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 1:27am

You know what else is unpatriotic propaganda? That there so-called "Memorial Day" that's comin' up. Why not just take a whole long weekend off so's as to not support our troops by saying, HERE, there is death associated to war and maybe we should remember them there dead from war? Why, so the treasonous liberals can say there is some sort of COST in HUMANITY to these here wars? They should all be stripped of their citizenship. I'm hopin' the Prezident gets a constituional amendemtation passed to BAN them there so-called "Memorial Day" so called "parades," which is another term for the MARCH OF THE LIBERAL CHICKENS.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 7:24am

does the "march of the liberal chickens" or as i call it "angry pinkos on parade" occur traditionally to the tune of "march of the wooden soldiers?"

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 7:38am

and just for the record, these are the major markets that were denied senor wences's, i mean koppel's, treat:

st. louis, mo
columbus, oh
asheville, nc & greenville / spartanburg / anderson, sc
greensboro / winston-salem / highpoint, nc
charleston / huntington, wv
mobile, al / pensacola, fl
springfield, ma
tallahassee, fl

hotbeds of liberal activity all. looking at the markets (none of which i would call major), it looks more like an attempt to curry favor with folks who already support the war. well, other than, springfield, but god knows what happens in that state anyway.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 9:36am

But c'mon papa, that's really not the point, is it? Whether the market where censorship occurred is *important*?

Can't wait for Memorial Day...White House creative spin should reach new heights trying to commemorate *that* holiday without drawing attention to the fact that there are a lot of newly dead soldiers to remember. Bet their families remember.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 10:33am

...shouldn't they re-institute the draft?

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 10:49am

Oh, god...there are words I never wanted to hear again in present tense: the draft.

[WindyCityActor]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 10:55am

"...shouldn't they re-institute the draft?"

Not a chance until AFTER the election.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 11:17am

I'm amazed that anyone in the arts could find the spin to justify censorship in any form. As usual some people are desperate to justify this war and its President's actions (and shockwaves). It is never right to censor. Let the people decide by changing the channel or turning the TV off.

Guess the truth hurts.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 11:18am

Exactly, WCA!
Not a chance they want to spoil the feel-good, no-sacrifice slaughter!

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 11:21am

I view all of this "Big Brotherism" as evidence of just how frantic Bush is. He must know deep down that he screwed up royally and even some Republicans are turning against him. He's so desperate to paint himself as in the right (pun intended) that he's gone way over the edge in his controlling the media (how about the Howard Stern situation). No more free speech in the USA, folks!

Even I, who at first was behind him in his initial attempts, am totally against him now. I'm afraid, however, that there are indeed enough people who will still vote for him and keep in office.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 5/1/04 at 11:22am

Reminder: The only war this country is fighting is the War Against Terrorism. That other skirmish ended a year ago... Who knew.