The New York Times reports that Sinclair broadasting is being attacked by

enraged consumer and media watchdog groups, who are vowing to challenge its station licenses when they come up for renewal

This, because Sinclair is preempting some local shows to broadcast Stolen Honor, a film in which former US prisoners of war in Viet Nam call Mr. Kerry's 1971 Senate testimony a betrayal that prolonged their captivity. In that testimony, Mr. Kerry accused  all his fellow servicemen (which would, of course, have included those still in captivity) of having engaged in wartime atrocities.
 
These public interest groups, the article indicates are:

Common Cause, the Alliance for Better Campaigns, Media Access Project, Media for Democracy and the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ,[who] are putting together a database listing all Sinclair advertisers and will try to persuade others to withdraw their commercials. Among those on the list are chains like Applebee's International, Best Buy, Chili's, Circuit City, Domino's Pizza, Lowe's, Papa John's, Subway, Taco Bell and Wal—Mart Stores.

The groups are also vowing to find groups in cities with Sinclair stations who will challenge the broadcast licenses of every Sinclair—owned station over the next several years. Such challenges almost never result in lost licenses, but they often result in heavy legal costs for the station having to defend them.

None of these groups, of course, expressed the least bit of outrage at CBS's year long role as the propaganda wing of the DNC, at ABC's memo, at NPR's two part series promoting Kerry, at Nightline's ridiculous smear job on the Swifties.

Perhaps they ought to tread carefully.Someone might want to take a look at their record and see what their definition of the "public interest " is and whether it comports with their present status with the IRS and FEC. 

A closer look at "public interest" advocacy groups and their political activities is long overdue.

Clarice Feldman   10 18 04