An ad-hoc anti-Sinclair blog has sprung up written by "trooth." He or she is disturbed.

It's not the law, but...

Boycott Sinclair has picked up a wee bit of steam. Great.

What do we do if this gets anywhere on Monday, when the Sinclair people get back to their desks? I have to say, I'm leaning towards asking for equal time. Sinclair shows "Going Upriver" or Fahrenheit 9/11 or "Outfoxed", and the calls and emails stop.

Many reasonable people have warned against acting like the zealots on the right who forced Viacom to yank "The Reagans".

Since Reagan nixed it, Equal Time is no longer the law. But it is FAIR.

Thoughts?

Well, yes, I have a few.

It's not the law, but...

Then forget about it.

Boycott Sinclair has picked up a wee bit of steam. Great.

What did you expect?

What do we do if this gets anywhere on Monday, when the Sinclair people get back to their desks? I have to say, I'm leaning towards asking for equal time. Sinclair shows "Going Upriver" or Fahrenheit 9/11 or "Outfoxed", and the calls and emails stop.

Well, gee. "If this gets anywhere," I guess we'll just have to figure out some way to get their asses off the hook.

Many reasonable people have warned against acting like the zealots on the right who forced Viacom to yank "The Reagans".

I have never claimed to be reasonable—in fact, I avoid reasonable people—and I don't mind acting like zealots on the right. Never bring bourgeois values to a cat fight. Who are you trying to prove you're better than? God?

Do they have a point?

Yes, they have a point. They prove to the Right what pussies they are. If the tables were reversed, the Right would be going after their financial asses if they couldn't figure out some way to confer jail time.

Since Reagan nixed it, Equal Time is no longer the law. But it is FAIR.

See first comment above. So while your opponents recognize only the law (if that), you want to place an additional impediment to any response—your sense of "fairness."

If you ever want to see your sense of fairness implemented, you must make it very costly to your opponent to behave otherwise.

FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) is running an "Action Alert" entitled "Sinclair's Partisan Ploy Cries Out for Equal Time"

See above, about the law. What we are witnessing is an attempt to subvert the FCC requirement that equal time be given to the candidates by declaring that patently false propaganda is "news." It is to further corrupt the very discourse of this society, if that is possible.

The consequence for subverting the equal-time requirement should not be equal time.

FCC chairman Reed Hundt wrote to Sinclair (Talking Points Memo, 10/11/04):

How can it be part of a broadcaster's public interest obligation to aspire to alter the perceptions of the audience about a presidential candidate by showing biased content that in no way reflects either breaking news or even-handed treatment of the issues? Why should a broadcaster keep its licenses if it behaves in this manner?

That's the stuff to give 'em!

In my Inbox was a message from FAIR telling me how badly MSNBC had behaved after the Cheney-Edwards debate.

FAIR wants me to "encourage MSNBC to offer a more balanced panel discussion following tomorrow night's presidential debate....As always, please remember that your comments are taken more seriously if you maintain a polite tone."

Does FAIR think it's my nanny? As always, please remember that your comments are taken more seriously if they know you've got the goods on them.