Sinclair reveals that he asked ABC to create a CBS type mediator by backing up on the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel

Sinclair retaliated on its detractors, claiming that its decision was “independent of any interaction or influence of the government” and was, in fact, an exercise of freedom of expression itself.

“Freedom of expression offers broadcasters the right to exercise judgment as for the content of their local stations,” said Sinclair, arguing that it is “simply inconsistent to defend freedom of expression while demanding that diffusers like specific content”.

The very unusual pre -emption began last week, when Sinclair fired Jimmy Kimmel Live! From its stations affiliated to the ABC – an action that attracted the attention of industry and general public observers. Sinclair declared in his declaration on Friday that during last week, he had received “reflected comments from viewers, advertisers and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives”. The company also said that it had witnessed disturbing acts of violence, including a shooting in an ABC affiliation station in Sacramento, California, implying that its withdrawal from Kimmel was responsible in a climate of increased tension and political violence. The company declared that these events “underline why the dissemination responsible for questions and why the respectful dialogue between different voices remains so important”.

According to Sinclair, the main objective of the pre -emption Jimmy Kimmel Live! was to ensure that the content broadcast on local stations remains “precise and engaging for the widest possible public”. The company has underlined its responsibility to “provide a program that serves the interests of our communities” with its obligations to disseminate the programming of the national network provided by ABC.

Discussions with Disney and the idea of ​​a mediator

Sinclair said that he had “discussions in progress and constructive with ABC”, during which he proposed a series of new responsibility measures, such as the creation of an “independent mediator on a network scale”, as part of a wider effort to facilitate transparency and constructive comments. Note that ABC and his parent company, Disney, have not yet adopted these measures, Sinclair said that he thought that the creation of this new role could help promote confidence between viewers and stakeholders across the country. He stressed that he wanted to strengthen responsibility, as well as the spectator’s comments and community dialogue.

Sinclair and Nexstar’s actions to withdraw Kimmel occurred in the midst of a wave of comments from the President of the FCC, Brendan Carr, causing criticism of a government pressure campaign to censor the speech that criticized the president. Other criticisms, characters such as the influential podcaster Joe Rogan, argued that Kimmel was, in fact, inaccurate in the remarks which immediately preceded his pre -emption, linked to the political ideology of the shooter accused of Charlie Kirk.

The appointment of a mediator in the midst of an end -of -evening host controversy and a government regulations occurred just a few weeks ago, when CBS News hired a mediator. In July, when Carr approved the takeover of the mother company of CBS, Paramount by Skydance, a company controlled by David Ellison, the son of a billionaire and Trump Ally Larry Ellison, he said that a mediator would soon be hired. “In all respects, Skydance will guarantee that CBS reports are fair, impartial and based on facts,” Skydance said in a letter to Carr, as reported by the AP.

Shortly after Skydance resumed paramount, CBS announced the shocking cancellation of his own late evening program with Stephen Colbert, just a few days after Colbert criticized the decision surrounding the primordial takeover.

Disney refused FortuneComment request. A request for Skydance comments was not immediately returned. Sinclair refused to comment beyond his declaration.

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