By Doug Rawlings/Common Dreams

The recently announced Emmy nominations have generated new interest in Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s 10-part documentary The Vietnam War, nominated for an Emmy based on Episode 8, (April 1969 – May 1970), “The History Of The World.”
Vietnam veteran Doug Rawlings was in the Central Highlands with the 7/15th Army artillery that year and was later a founder of Veterans For Peace.
As each nightly episode of Burns/Novick series aired last fall, he wrote his insightful observations. Below is his analysis of the nominated eighth segment. For all his articles on this series, visit www.vietnamfulldisclosure.org.

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Posted on July 31, 2018

‘It’s Almost Impressive’

A president and his protege.

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Posted on July 23, 2018

By Free Press

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday issued its Hearing Designation Order (HDO) related to the Sinclair Broadcast Group’s proposed merger with Tribune Media.
The HDO, which sends Sinclair’s proposed divestiture plan to a judge for an administrative review hearing, is often the FCC’s first step toward denying a deal. The Communications Act requires the agency to give merger applicants a shot to make their case or abandon a proposed deal before the FCC moves to withhold approval.

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Posted on July 20, 2018

By Free Press

The Sinclair Broadcast Group floated a plan Wednesday to divest two Texas television stations in an attempt to salvage its proposed merger with Tribune Media, which FCC Chairman Ajit Pai designated for an administrative-law hearing on Monday due to “serious concerns” about the transaction.
Pai’s Monday statement suggests that the divestitures Sinclair had previously proposed would be sent to a hearing because, in the chairman’s words, the “evidence we’ve received suggests that certain station divestitures that have been proposed to the FCC would allow Sinclair to control those stations in practice, even if not in name, in violation of the law.”

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Posted on July 18, 2018

By Jessica Corbett/Common Dreams

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s said Monday that he has “serious concerns” about right-wing Sinclair Broadcast Group’s proposed $3.9 billion merger with Tribune Media.
In a statement announcing a draft order that would require the merger applicants to attend a hearing in front of an administrative law judge, Pai said, “Based on a thorough review of the record, I have serious concerns about the Sinclair/Tribune transaction. The evidence we’ve received suggests that certain station divestitures that have been proposed to the FCC would allow Sinclair to control those stations in practice, even if not in name, in violation of the law.”

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Posted on July 17, 2018

By Free Press

Free Press on Thursday responded to filings by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Tribune Media, 21st Century Fox and Fox Television Stations, calling on the Federal Communications Commission to reject Sinclair’s proposed takeover of Tribune.
In its filing to the FCC, Free Press states that broadcasters continue to rely on thoroughly debunked public-interest claims to bolster their weak arguments and misrepresent concerns raised by Free Press and other groups that have petitioned the agency to deny the merger.

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Posted on July 13, 2018

By Julia Conley/Common Dreams

While President Donald Trump’s appointment of former Fox News executive Bill Shine to a top communications role was unsurprising to critics, many denounced the selection as the latest signal that the president holds contempt for the concerns of women.
As the right-wing news outlet’s co-president, Shine allegedly helped to cover up the sexual harassment faced by many women at the network at the hands of powerful men including TV host Bill O’Reilly and CEO Roger Ailes. According to former Fox News personalities Julie Roginsky and Andrea Tantaros, Shine was dismissive of accusations against Ailes, helped to arrange meetings between Ailes and women he had sexually harassed, and suppressed reports of misconduct.

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Posted on July 6, 2018