Staples, Sinclair, and the Liberal Liberal Left.

[BOLO]

Staples Pulls Ads on Sinclair News Shows

BOSTON (AP) - Staples Inc. is pulling its office products advertisements from news programming on Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. television stations after receiving complaints from customers angry over what they believe to be the media company's right-wing political tilt.

Staples' move came after a liberal media watchdog group last month began a campaign encouraging people to complain to advertisers including Staples and other companies about news content on Sinclair-owned stations.

A spokesman for Framingham-based Staples said Wednesday that the company's decision to discontinue advertising during news programming Jan. 10 was made in response to the complaints and as part of the company's routine, periodic adjustments to its media buying.

"Staples is an apolitical company without any organizational support for any political party," spokesman Paul Capelli said.

The chain of 1,600 office products stores will continue to advertise during non-news programming on Sinclair stations, Capelli said. The company has advertised with Sinclair for more than 12 years.

He declined to offer specifics on how much money Staples spends with Sinclair stations. Capelli also would not say how many of the advertising-related complaints Staples receives involved ads on Sinclair-owned stations.

Phone messages seeking comment from spokeswomen for Sinclair were not immediately returned Wednesday.

Hunt Valley, Md.-based Sinclair has been targeted by many Democrats and liberal activists over its airing before the November presidential election of parts of the film "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" during a program examining the use of documentaries to influence elections.

After it was threatened with a revolt by some shareholders, advertisers and activists, Sinclair said it would not air the full documentary. The documentary consists of interviews with U.S. prisoners of war who survived imprisonment in Hanoi and remain enraged at last year's Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. John Kerry, for joining the anti-war movement after he completed his Vietnam service.

Sinclair at first said the program would appear on all of its 62 stations, but then said the segment would appear on only 40.

Critics said the program constituted an illegal campaign donation by executives of the company, who are Republican contributors.

Media Matters for America, the group behind the campaign to persuade advertisers to sever ties with Sinclair, highlighted Staples' decision with an announcement of the move on the organization's Web site. Other Sinclair advertisers the group is targeting include Kraft, Target, Geico, McDonald's and Sprint.

It is the same organization that got Sinclair to pull it's promised show on Men of Honor.
Sinclair caved then they will probably cave again.
Doesn't matter, at least to me.
I sent Staples a letter. I will not be shopping there anymore.
How about you?

[midcan5]

Bolo, I find this a sore part of our recent history. The criticism of a vet and the control of media are dangerous things for our country. We need to start protecting the honor of veterans - Kerry is a veteran as we are. That some dislike him is ok with me, but that they go on complaining about a fundamental right of all Americans to dissent is wrong. America was formed by dissent, it is what makes us Americans. Kerry had every right to protest what was wrong with the war. The protests of the young and of the families, very often of soldiers, is what finally ended one of the worst chapters in our history. Do you not think Sinclair had another motive for wanting Kerry defeated in the last election? The monopolization of media is not a good thing for a democracy and it is what they have their sights set on. I have seen the statistics recently on where corporate money goes and rest assured 80-95 percent goes to republicans, they know who will grease their pockets and hurt the working man.

This is by a Bronze Star medal winner as Kerry was, it says it well.

www.commondreams.org/views04/0827-02.htm

"My Bronze Star citation contains some exaggerations written into it by the officer in my unit who submitted it. It was apparently felt that the award reflected well on my regiment and the Army and helped fill a national need for heroism in a decidedly unheroic conflict."

"I, too, opposed the war when I got home, based on what I had seen there. I am prouder of that than anything I did with a rifle in my hands. Like Kerry, I believed I had earned the right to speak out. I would prefer not to be criticized by those who didn't go at all."

Gordon Livingston, a West Point graduate who served with the 11th Armored Cavalry in Vietnam, is a psychiatrist who lives in Columbia, Md.

[BOLO]

Reply from Staples. (I was not the nly one that wrote)
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. Our media buying process with Sinclair Broadcasting stations has recently been misrepresented by an organization with no affiliation to Staples. Staples regularly drops and adds specific programs from our media buying schedule, as we evaluate and adjust how to best reach our customers. We do not let political agendas drive our media buying decisions.

Staples does not support any political party. We advertise with a variety of media outlets, but do not necessarily share the same views of these organizations or what they report. As we have done for a number of years, Staples will continue to advertise on Sinclair Broadcasting stations.

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.