Two Maine news anchors quit on air, citing pressure to do biased journalism

[TomCADem]

Source: NY Daily News

Maine news anchors Tony Consiglio and Cindy Michaels' resignation didn't surprise company Vice President and General Manager Mike Palmer, who called it "unfortunate." Michaels said the pair were expected to do unbalanced political journalism.

* * *

“It’s a little complicated,” Michaels continued, “but we were expected to do somewhat unbalanced news, politically, in general.”

Neither anchor specified what political stances the management allegedly wanted them to espouse.

Unlike others at the station, the company’s vice president and general manager, Mike Palmer, was not surprised by their announcement.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2-maine-news-anchors-quit-air-article-1.1206187

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The folks at Free Republic are celebrating this resignation accusing this pair of wanting to push liberal (fact based) journalism. In Ohio, several ABC affiliates that were owned by Sinclair were forced to broadcast a highly partisan attack on President Obama as a news special:

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/11/sinclair_broadcast_group_ohio_anti-obama_special.php

This just goes to show that we need to hold the media accountable and that Fox News is not the only outlet that is pushing a right wing agenda. Fox News is just the most obvious about it.

[banned from Kos]

1. Journalism has splintered into constituent niches.

It is really sad.

Only a few remain pure concerning the truth.

[yurbud]

2. this is why we need to stop more media consolidation and roll back what has occurred.

[BlueStreak]

3. DOn't know the back story, but it is clear this was a matter of conscience

and conscience seems to be very rare in the "news" industry these days.

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. On this anniversary of death of JFK, I think of Walter Cronkite

Last edited Thu Nov 22, 2012, 07:31 PM - Edit history (1)

and of how the news was broadcast back then.
Seriously.
somberly.

News was reported, not created, on air.

Cronkite was rated "the most trusted man in America".

Mainstream news today is a sad joke.

[Ash_F]

4. Brave Journalists.

Bring back real journalism!

[crim son]

5. I've met Cindy Michaels any number of times

as her son is the same age as my oldest boy. Smart woman, I don't know where she stands politically and since I don't watch t.v. have not paid much attention to what her station broadcasts. Still, I stand on the side of unbiased journalism, period. Loving how they did this on the air.

[Michigan-Arizona]

6. Went to a Tucson protest year's ago

Could not hardly find more than 3 people that was there in favor of Bush. Hubby & I watched the local news that night & almost fell over when they said the protest was about 50/50. We both just said out loud to each other what liars!

[Joe Bacon]

7. Reinstate the Fairness Doctrine and Equal Time provisions

That's the first step.

The second step is to reinstate ownership limits and break up the six companies that own the American media.

[cstanleytech]

10. Nice on paper but would either survive a scotus challenge with the current court? I have my doubts.

[Peace Patriot]

15. Then we start the impeachment movement against the scum on the Supreme Court...

...or take a cue from FDR and start a movement to add justices to the 9 (no number specified by the Constitution--perfectly legal and constitutional to create more judges for a better balanced court).

Though FDR's tactic didn't succeed in adding judges, the pressure he put on the court caused one justice to change his mind about "New Deal" programs--thus Social Security was saved from being declared "unconstitutional"!

Without FDR's threat, we wouldn't have Social Security today! We may not have it long--unless we have a successful leftist democracy revolution here, such as the one occurring in South America--but three quarters of a century is a pretty long run for workers communal insurance in a country now dominated by Corporate Looters and War Profiteers!

If we can get rid of the 'TRADE SECRET' voting machines and elect a real Congress, the Fairness Doctrine and other common sense, basic "good government" laws will be possible. Why give up the fight before we have begun, cuz we're so-o-o sca-a-ared of the Supreme Court and other evil forces?



Nothing is gained without struggle. No good idea has ever been enacted without a fight--often bloody fights, deep cultural struggles, bashed protestor heads and worse, and also courageous and foxy leaders to get things done.

RESTORE THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE! BUST CORPORATE MEDIA MONOPOLIES NOW!

[cstanleytech]

17. Clearly you need to reread the rules for impeachment it seems as

a justice making a ruling you disagree with isnt an impeachable offense, if it was then every justice on the court would have already been removed for issuing rulings others disagree with.
The adding more spots might work but.............. *shrug*

As for corporate issue of them donating (bribing) candidates with secret money to things like the PACs the best way we can fight that right now imo is make it so all donations to the PACs are open and cannot be hidden and make it illegal for one PAC to channel money to another PAC in an attempt to hide the trail.

[Volaris]

19. It might if we get the idiots to believe that the Fairness Doctrine

is the best way to curtail the influence of the "evil liberal media". I just bet that they are dumb enough to fall for it, too. Rush won't be, but we just have to say at the outset that anyone NOT in agreement with this policy has a vested interest (see money) in maintaining the status quo, and doesn't care about actually keeping people properly informed. Rush and Beck (and most of FoxNews) would scream like stuck pigs, but that would just re-inforce the argument, wouldn't it?

They do so love it when Big Government works in THEIR favor, I say let's use that disconnect to our full advantage lol.

[Peace Patriot]

13. Hear, hear! nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. When media lie, you get results like the Republicans being surprised by 2012 election results.

[eyewall]

9. Sounds like courage

and integrity.

[upi402]

11. Thanks to the Clinton era Telecom Act

they don't have many places to go.

Courage and ethics - that's what it sounds like.
We'll need law with teeth and serious penalties to undo this paradigm now.

[Gormy Cuss]

14. The general manager is a climate change denier

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=isA8AAAAIBAJ&sjid=DS4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=5577%2C35040

Gee, I wonder which direction the imbalance was?

[Peace Patriot]

16. KUDOS AND LAUREL WREATHS TO Tony Consiglio and Cindy Michaels!!!

[snot]

18. K&R'd.

[hrmjustin]

20. Just a shame!