[Mb-civic] Sinclair Fires Washington Bureau Chief

[Michael Butler]

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  Sinclair Fires Washington Bureau Chief
  By Kasey Jones
  The Associated Press

  BALTIMORE - The Washington bureau chief for Sinclair Broadcast Group said
he was fired Monday after he criticized the company's plans to produce a
news program based on a documentary critical of John Kerry's Vietnam-era
anti-war activities.

  Jon Leiberman said he was fired by Joseph DeFeo, Sinclair's vice president
for news, and "escorted out of the building."

  "I was told I violated company policy by divulging information from a
staff meeting to The (Baltimore) Sun in this morning's edition," Leiberman
said late Monday.

  That staff meeting took place Sunday at Sinclair's headquarters in Hunt
Valley, Leiberman said. It was announced that the news division would
produce an hourlong special based on the documentary "Stolen Honor: Wounds
That Never Heal," he said.

  The documentary features former prisoners of war accusing Kerry, a
decorated veteran who took up the anti-war cause upon returning from
Vietnam, of prolonging the war and worsening their plight.

  Earlier this month, Sinclair ordered its 62 TV stations across the country
to pre-empt regular programming to air the documentary.

  "They're using the news to drive their political agenda," Leiberman said.
"I don't think it served the public trust."

  Leiberman, 29, criticized his employer in an interview with The Sun
published Monday. "I have nothing to gain here - and really, I have a lot to
lose," he said in that interview.

  Sinclair in a statement late Monday said that "we are disappointed that
Jon's political views caused him to violate company policy and speak to the
press about company business."

  "We have no further comment on the actions of a disgruntled employee or an
ongoing personnel matter," the statement said. "Viewers can grade
Leiberman's opinion versus the reality when the finished product is aired."

  The reporter, who was tapped by Sinclair last year to start the company's
four-person Washington bureau, said he had a contract that ran through next
August. Sinclair told him that he was fired for cause and would receive no
severance and his benefits ended immediately, Leiberman said.

  He added that Sinclair would not waive his noncompete agreement, which
means he cannot work for a broadcast outlet in any market that has a
Sinclair station.

  Leiberman started with Sinclair in 2000 as a reporter for WBFF-TV in
Baltimore, Sinclair's flagship station. He said late Monday, "I don't like
not knowing where my next move will be and how I'm going to take care of my
family."

  He added: "I really feel like I can sleep at night and I can be OK with my
decision" to criticize Sinclair publicly. ... I know I stood up for the
principles of objectivity. In journalism, all we have is credibility and
objectivity."

  Also Monday, a Vietnam veteran filed a libel lawsuit claiming he was
falsely portrayed as a fraud and a liar in "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never
Heal."

 

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