Ted Koppel has decided to use his ABC new infotainment show Nightline to recite the names of the 532+ K.I.A. in the Iraq war and reconstruction effort. Sinclair broadcasting, which eight ABC stations, is not going to air it. From the Sinclair web site:

The ABC Television Network announced on Tuesday that the Friday, April 30 edition of “Nightline” will consist entirely of Ted Koppel reading aloud the names of U.S. servicemen and women killed in action in Iraq. 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. [emphasis in orig]

[ . . . [
We understand that our decision in this matter may be questioned by some. Before you judge our decision, however, we would ask that you first question Mr. Koppel as to why he chose to read the names of 523 troops killed in combat in Iraq, rather than the names of the thousands of private citizens killed in terrorist attacks since and including the events of September 11, 2001. In his answer, we believe you will find the real motivation behind his action scheduled for this Friday. Unfortunately, we may never know for sure because Mr. Koppel has refused repeated requests from Sinclair’s News Central news organization to comment on this Friday’s program.

Fair enough. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) — who chairs the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which oversees the FCC, which controls Sinclair’s ability to broadcast — sent a letter to Sinclair Chairman and CEO David Smith, saying, in part:

There is no valid reason for Sinclair to shirk its responsibility in what I assume is a very misguided attempt to prevent your viewers from completely appreciating the extraordinary sacrifices made on their behalf by Americans serving in Iraq. War is an awful, but sometimes necessary business. Your decision to deny your viewers an opportunity to be reminded of war’s terrible costs, in all their heartbreaking detail, is a gross disservice to the public, and to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. It is, in short, sir, unpatriotic. I hope it meets with the public opprobrium it most certainly deserves.

Smith replied, in part:

It is “Nightline’s” failure to present the entire story, however, to which Sinclair objects. “Nightline” is not reporting news; it is doing nothing more than making a political statement. In simply reading the names of our fallen heroes, this program has adopted a strategy employed by numerous anti-war demonstrators who wish to focus attention solely on the cost of war. In fact, lest there be any doubt about “Nightline’s” motivation, both Mr. Koppel and “Nightline’s” executive producer have acknowledged that tonight’s episode was influenced by the Life Magazine article listing the names of dead soldiers in Vietnam, which article was widely credited with furthering the opposition to the Vietnam war and with creating a backlash of public opinion against the members of the U.S. military who had proudly served in that conflict

In closing, I would like to quote for you the words of Captain Kate Blaise of the U.S. Military. Captain Blaise served in Iraq as a member of the 101st Airborne Division and suffered the loss of her husband Mike who was killed while also serving in Iraq. In commenting on exactly the type of practice which “Nightline” intends to employ, Captain Blaise had this to say:

“I was watching the news, watching this anti-war demonstration and they were reading off names of soldiers who had fallen in Iraq and they read off my husband’s name. That made me very angry because he very strongly believed in what he was doing and they were using his name for a purpose that he would not have approved of.”

I’ve heard the theory that McCain enjoys tweaking the President, a notion which he dismisses, and this seems to be evidence of that. Sinclair owns no stations in Arizona, so McCain should not have interfered in a business decision by Sinclair Broadcasting. That a chairman of the committee overseeing the FCC would so such a thing is disgusting and reprehensible. The government is neither empowered nor does it belong anywhere near such things. The rest of this matter is trivial.

Like Koppel’s motivation. He might be protesting the war by taking the ridiculous step of listing the dead before the action is finished. He might also be trying to gather attention for his infotainment show. (I haven’t seen his ratings.) Either way, he is dishonoring the dead. His show began as a nice little thing with news of our hostages in Iran in 1980. I do not know why he is still on the air.

Sinclair is a private company.

People, including Koppel, have a right to protest the war, even to dishonor the dead. I have a right to note what they are doing. Sinclair has a right not to air his stunt. John McCain has no right or power to use his elected position to bully a private corporation.