The film producers are a little nervous about Sinclair's plan, as well. ````````````````````````````````` "Sinclair had initially informed its staff, its stations and the networks with which it is affiliated that the plan was to air Carlton Sherwood's 42-minute anti-Kerry film, "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal." Sherwood's film features interviews with former Vietnam POWs who allege that Kerry's 1970s antiwar activity prolonged their ordeal."
"One person familiar with the situation said Sinclair executives told news employees in the six-hour meeting Sunday that the ad-free broadcast would probably now include about 15 minutes of "Stolen Honor," as well as several news pieces about the controversy, the Vietnam-era military service of Kerry and President Bush, and why voters should care the about 30-year-old events." [snip]
Sherwood, the "Stolen Honor" filmmaker, said Monday he was under the impression that Sinclair was planning to run his entire work, and expressed surprise that it could be cut. "If you start editing somebody's work," he said, "you've got to worry about whether the context is going to be there." He said he had not been in touch with Sinclair because he did not want to meddle. [snip]
Bill Samuels, an executive producer of "Going Upriver," said that film was sent to Sinclair on Friday because producers had hoped Sinclair would air it in its entirety, and that there had been no talks about using excerpts. [snip]
Sinclair Fires Journalist After Critical Comments The broadcaster's Washington bureau chief had called an upcoming anti-Kerry program 'blatant political propaganda.' By Elizabeth Jensen Times Staff Writer http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-sinclair19oct19,1,1875468.story?coll=la-home-politics
October 19, 2004
NEW YORK - Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. on Monday fired its Washington bureau chief after the newsman publicly protested plans for a program about Sen. John F. Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activities that is scheduled to run this week on about 60 Sinclair-owned stations.
Jon Leiberman, who had worked for the TV broadcaster for nearly five years, called the upcoming program "blatant political propaganda, not objective journalism," because it was airing so close to election day. He added that he had told his boss that he refused to work on it.
Leiberman, 29, who made similar comments that appeared in the Baltimore Sun on Monday, said he was fired late in the day for violating company policy by speaking to the media without prior approval.
Exactly what conservative-leaning Sinclair has planned for the program is unclear. Leiberman said the Sinclair news staff, which hadn't produced any other recent one-hour news programs, was called in Sunday to a mandatory meeting at the Maryland headquarters, where they were told they had to take part in putting together the program in the next several days. Originally, the program had been assigned to the commentary unit. [...] http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-sinclair19oct19,1,1875468.story?coll=la-home-politics ==============================