Less than an hour before showtime – NBC Won its Appeal – Debate went on without Kucinich

 Does the Media have the Power to Squelch a Candidates

Voice? 

LAS VEGAS — Representative Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio flew here

on Tuesday, hoping to join the leading Democratic presidential

candidates at a debate, but his wishes were dashed by the Nevada

Supreme Court less than an hour before show time.

One day after a lower-court judge had threatened to block the

debate from being broadcast if MSNBC did not provide a space on stage

for Mr. Kucinich, the network won its appeal to the state Supreme

Court.

The lineup had remained uncertain even as the other candidates

were arriving on site at the Cashman Center, not far from the Las

Vegas Strip.

Source: nytimes.com via politisite

Many debates set inclusion criteria  for debates that

essentially eliminate candidates free speech. 

Contested Debate Turns Into Major Battle

By Ira Teinowitz

Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich—who got

invited, then uninvited, to participate in MSNBC’s Democratic

debate last night in Las Vegas—is angry.

Lisa Howfield, general manager of Sunbelt Communications’

KVBC-TV, NBC’s Las Vegas station, isn’t thrilled, either. She

wanted to air the debate live, and 45 minutes before it started

learned that she couldn’t.

In one of the more unusual campaign fisticuffs of the presidential

year, MSNBC’s presidential debate fight last night became as big a

fight in the hours before the debate as during it.

It also became a bit of a mad scramble for KVBC-TV and KRNV-TV in

Reno, Nev., also owned by Sunbelt, with both stations aborting plans

to carry the debate minutes before they were to air MSNBC’s

coverage.

While the debate, hosted by NBC anchor Brian Williams and “Meet

the Press” host Tim Russert, turned into a polite discussion among

Sens. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards, the

pre-debate fight was far more forceful and longer, too. It erupted in

two Nevada courts over several days, ending just minutes before the

debate began.

At least it appeared to end. The issues in the fight could yet

have reverberations in Congress and at the FCC.

Source: tvweek.com via politisite

 

 

Appeal Filed in Kucinich Debate Lawsuit

By KEN RITTER – 1 day ago

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Nevada Supreme Court was considering an

appeal Tuesday from NBC Universal Inc. to overturn a judge’s decision

that Dennis Kucinich must be included in a debate of the Democratic

presidential candidates on MSNBC.

The network argued that a Clark County District Court judge lacked

jurisdiction to order the cable TV news network to include the Ohio

congressman or pull the plug on broadcasting the debate Tuesday night

with Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.

“Mr. Kucinich’s claim … undermines the wide journalistic

freedoms enjoyed by news organizations under the First Amendment,”

Las Vegas lawyer Donald Campbell said in a filing submitted to

Nevada’s high court, which hears all state appeals.

The state Supreme Court made no immediate ruling, and no hearing

was immediately scheduled, a court clerk said.

Meanwhile, Kucinich hailed the lower court judge’s order before

boarding a flight from Cleveland to Nevada to await the results of

the legal showdown.

“I can just say, ‘Thank God’ for that judge, and hopefully

his ruling will be sustained,” the Ohio congressman told

reporters.

Source: ap.google.com via politisite

So what is the deal?  Does the news industry support the

first amendment or just use it when it is works to their end? 

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