Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Some Awarding Staples for Pulling Sinclair Ads

A letter forwarded to me by a MediaChannel member (who also happens to be Abbie Hoffman's brother) is being spread by others as a viral email to encourage Americans to buy Staples stock and products in support of the retailer’s decision to pull advertising from Sinclair Broadcast Group's news programs (See related post). A note of caution: Staples has yet to pull all of its advertising from Sinclair stations, and they are now backing away from suggestions that our campaign was the reason they suspended their ads. Still, their actions, in and of themselves, serve notice that public airwaves should not be used to push a partisan agenda. Read some of my recent articles on Sinclair here, here and here.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree. Off to Staples I go to buy some stuff this weekend.

Anonymous said...

I spent $250 yesterday at Staples another $18 today. I do not knowingly listen to any Sinclair companies (TV or Radio). Is there any other companies that I can avoid in order to show my disgust for the censor tactics of Sinclair?

Timothy Karr said...

You can avoid buying products from the companies that are listed at our SinclairAction.com website. You should also let them know that you're taking this action, by joining the more than 36,000 others who have written letters to Sinclair advertisers expressing their concern about the highly partisan nature of Sinclair's news programming.

Anonymous said...

Not sure if everyone already saw it -- but Sinclair CEO David Smith made BusinessWeek's annual list of "worst managers"

Anonymous said...

So when do we send the same e-mails to NBC, ABC, and espcially CBS for espousing the liberal agenda? Turn about is fair play. If Sinclair is condemned for it's conservative views, then ALL other networks should be made to toe the same mark.

Timothy Karr said...

Let's see. NBC is owned by General Electric one of the nation's largest military defense contractors and one of the biggest corporate supporters of Republican candidates. On election night 2000, former General Electric head and outspoken conservative Jack Welch invaded the NBC newsroom to pressure the political analyst to call the election for Bush, well in advance of any persuasive exit polling to that effect.

CBS is run by Viacom. Earlier this year Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone told an audience at the annual Global CEO's Conference in Hong Kong that he was a Bush supporter. Republican values are what U.S. companies need, Redstone declared: "Because the Republican administration has stood for many things we believe in, deregulation and so on. . . . we believe the election of a Republican administration is better for our company."

ABC is owned by Disney. In May 2004, Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisner barred Disney's Miramax Pictures subsidiary from distributing Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. Meanwhile ABC Radio Networks doesn't blink an eye as they profit handsomely from syndication of right-wing radio host Sean Hannity's daily diatribe.

CBS, NBC and ABC all refused Fahrenheit 9/11 DVD advertising during any of the networks’ news programming.

You're right, CBS, NBC, ABC, they're all liberal!

Anonymous said...

Oh, then it must just be Dan Rather,Tom Brokaw, and Peter Jennings who are liberal, right? The big three sat there with their conservative views and let their anchors liberalize their reputatons. Sure.

Anonymous said...

Nice try "anonymous." Rather than merely mouthing GOP talking points about the "liberal" media. Try investigating your own bias and backing it up or, more likely, dispelling it with some real facts.

Anonymous said...

Yup Staples has denied it and said they are still broadcasting...take your stuff back and go to a co-op...

Anonymous said...

I guess my conservative inclination was showing on a liberal media at NBC, CBS, and ABC, however, I don't know how a true liberal doesn't recognize its own nest. What bothers me the most is people misrepresenting things, lying, and telling me what I ought to do based on THEIR biases. Kraft and any other company who is being terrorized and boycotted by ANY faction, conservative or liberal, should take the stance that Kraft has. Politics and blackmail have no place in the business sector. Threatening boycotts because someone advertises on a biased station is not in the best interests of freedom of speech. I'd say Progressive and other companies would have to take their contributions to election campaigns back if we start regulating it too.

Anonymous said...

Yet another reason not to buy supplies at Staples, outside of the overpriced goods, idiot staff and nonsensical store layout. I'm sure Sinclair isn't all that concerend though. Staples is continuing to lose market share. I'll just have to give them a helping hand by purchasing my supplies at Office Depot(better staff and far beter prices. Check them out at www.officedepot.com) and you too will be convinced!

BTW, I thought you liberal nutjobs were against boycotts? You "Anyone but Bush" morons are absolutely hysterical, especially when playing "6 Degrees of Geroge W Bush" with every negative newstory that appears. Don't worry though, there's always 2008. Or 20012. Or 2016. Ah hell, might wanna try a revolution since that's about the only way you'll gain power, dopes...

Anonymous said...

Wriiten by an idiot(Timothy Karr) "CBS is run by Viacom. Earlier this year Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone told an audience at the annual Global CEO's Conference in Hong Kong that he was a Bush supporter."

Nice try Zippy. Look at this: http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=%5CNation%5Carchive%5C200409%5CNAT20040924a.html

Redstone voting conservative is about as likely as you posting an intellegent comment. Typical lib trash.

Anonymous said...

Yep, it's that idiot again(Timothy Karr): "On election night 2000, former General Electric head and outspoken conservative Jack Welch invaded the NBC newsroom to pressure the political analyst to call the election for Bush, well in advance of any persuasive exit polling to that effect."

His source you ask? Guerilla News Network. Nice try Sparky. You make your fellow academia nuts look like geniuses with comments like this...

Timothy Karr said...

I am pleased to see that participation in this blog comes from across the political spectrum. Mediacitizen was launched as a "post-partisan" investigation of the new media landscape, with the intention to allow everyone to take part in exploring what's at stake in our digital media future. It's, therefore, sad to see some "anonymous" brave souls revert to name calling and obfuscation when they find themselves on the losing side of an argument; seems to be the modus operandi for some.

That said, it's worth acknowledging that, indeed, Redstone has personally funded more Democratic politicians than Republican. This doesn't dispel what he has said publicly about Viacom's political choice.

It's also worth noting that, as a whole, journalists tend to fall to the center or left of center, according to a May Pew Research poll.

This does not, however, obliterate the mountain of evidence, which supports claims that mainstream media companies skew towards the GOP, and that claims of a "liberal media agenda" ring hollow from the perspective of anyone who has paid more than a passing attention to media companies' efforts to influence legislation in Washington, DC and from statehouse to statehouse.

And it doesn't end there. Though, in many ways this is less an argument about political issues and more an investigation of big media as it desperately tries to protect its cozy status quo. We live in an envronment where media moguls and marquis journalists have joined the political and moneyed elite that they, as the Fourth Estate, are supposed to challenge.

The real argument, then, is who are the elite in America? Right wing ranters like to think that the "liberal establishment" -- represented by Hollywood on the left coast and New York Media and Ivy Leaguers on the right coast -- is all powerful. And that they, conservatives, are the underdogs in a system that is hard-wired to favor a "liberal agenda."

Last time I checked, though, most real power (Fortune 500 corporations and all branches of gov't -- legislative, judicial and executive) rests in the hands of those that hold a center right to far right perspective. And that a corporate media system that depends on favorable rule makers to protect its cozy status and bottom line has turned in that direction as well. A compliant media is a crime regardless of which political party holds the reigns of power in America.

I could be proven wrong, and I'm open to that process. So, if you want to continue to investigate these and other facts at hand, stay tuned to Mediacitizen? If you want to regurgitate partisan talking points and name call, take it elsewhere.