Dear Sir:
I was reading a news story regarding the broadcast of "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" on Sinclair Broadcast Group.
You were quoted in the news story as saying, "This is an abuse of the public trust. And it is proof positive of media consolidation run amok when one owner can use the public airwaves to blanket the country with its political ideology — whether liberal or conservative".
I agree, but I don't recall whether you made any statements regarding CBS's forged documents scandal. There are none listed on http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/copps/statements2004.html, so I'm assuming you didn't.
The CBS documents scandal was, for the following reasons, a much more serious violation of the public trust:
1) Until today, I had never heard of Sinclair Broadcast Group, and trust I'm not alone in that regard. I did some research and found that Sinclair's 62 stations reach 24% of US households in 39 markets. In contrast, everybody has heard of CBS. CBS is a national news outlet with the ability to influence the opinions of vastly larger numbers of people than Sinclair. CBS is available in every US market, and owns and/ or is affiliated with over 200 stations in every market in the country.
2) CBS news is an electronic news outlet of record. They are (or were) regarded as a trustworthy source of balanced, objective news, while the "Stolen Honor" documentary to be broadcast on Sinclair affiliates does not fit in the category of "news". It is a program documenting the experiences of POW's who claim to have been adversely affected by John Kerry's activities after the war. It is implicit in this definition that much of what is said therein is opinion.
3) Forging documents is illegal, and knowingly using forged documents as part of a news broadcast is one the most base violations of journalistic ethics I can think of. To make matters worse for CBS, the documents were obtained from a known anti-Bush activist of questionable mental health. On the other hand, the men in the documentary are telling their version of a story, and, once again, it is implicit that their personal opinions would play a part in that telling.
In closing, I think for you, in your official capacity as an FCC commissioner, to make such a statement about this instance of political ideology invading the media while ignoring the numerous instances of anti-Republican bias in the media, is irresponsible and ill-advised. The public trusts you to maintain a balance between free speech and decency on the public airwaves, and letting your own personal biases enter into your work is a greater violation of the public trust than anything Sinclair Broadcast Group has engaged in.
I realize this is a lengthy email and I thank you for reading it in its entirety.
Best Regards,
I agree!