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UGA Dean Among Those Signing Letter of Concern to Sinclair Broadcasting over Attacks on Other Media

UGA

Grady College is one more than a dozen university journalism schools signing a letter of concern to the Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Chairman, David Smith.

Dean Charles Davis calls the company’s attack on other media, specifically the print media, unprecedented.

“If there’s one inviolable rule in journalism it’s that we don’t ever attack each other,’ according to Davis. “We might criticize one another, we’ll certainly shoot holes in people’s reporting if it’s not very good, we’ll certainly take to critiquing their work.”

He says this is an exceptional situation.

“This is completely different than that. This is a wholesale attack on the institution of the press itself. That is completely unprecedented by another media outlet.”

Davis says it’s important to take a stand.

“We have alumni at Sinclair stations, we have students that no doubt will be interviewing for jobs at Sinclair stations; they are, after all, the largest holder of broadcast stations in the country,” Davis said. “We needed to make sure that we did not support the use anchors to read management statements, particularly management editorial statements on the air. It’s just something that journalistic ethics do not abide.”

After Sinclair backed out on a pledge to donate $25,000 to the National Press Photographers Association, Davis says Grady is raising money to replace the funds. They’ve raised $13,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.