Koppel, the sequel
: Below, I came out of an internal debate deciding I didn’t like Ted Koppel turning the names and images of U.S. soldiers in Iraq into a gimmick. Sinclair TV agrees; they’re preempting the show.
“Despite the denials by a spokeswoman for the show, the action appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq,” the company said in a faxed statement. Sinclair, which owns 62 U.S. television stations, said ABC is disguising political statements as news content.
Though I agree with Sinclair’s view of the stunt, I don’t agree with Sinclair’s action. Better to let Koppel do what he wants to do but also to insert the company’s statement before and after the show — and let the audience decide.
