Tweet
April 30 — At the end of one of the most deadly months since the military operation began in Iraq, ABCNEWS' Nightline will pay tribute to all the American servicemen and women who have died in Iraq by devoting the entire broadcast to reading their names and showing their photographs.
Using photographs and information drawn from the Army Times Publishing Company's online "Faces of Valor" database, Nightline will show a picture of each serviceman and woman in succession with their name, military branch, rank and age.
Expanded by 10 minutes from its usual half-hour, Nightline will include more than 500 killed in action in Iraq since March 19, 2003, as well as 200-plus non-combat deaths.
Nightline executive producer Leroy Sievers, said that the program is their "way of reminding our viewers — whether they agree with the war or not — that beyond the casualty numbers, these men and women are serving in Iraq in our names, and that those who have been killed have names and faces."
The program has sparked a war of words as critics claim the special 40-minute program is anti-war. While Nightline calls it a "tribute," Sinclair Broadcast Group, a Maryland-based media company whose holdings include 62 TV stations, is pre-empting Nightline on its eight ABC affiliates, including stations in Columbus, Ohio; St. Louis, Mo.; and Charleston, W.Va.
The company said today's program "appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq."
Nightline's anchor Ted Koppel, who will read the names of the fallen aloud, said "it's not implicitly anti-war" on ABC's Good Morning America today. "I think it's an appropriate thing to do."
"I'm not suggesting that people in this country don't know what's happening, but I think that periodically it is not unreasonable to remind everyone of who these young people are and what they look like," said Koppel.
Using photographs and information drawn from the Army Times Publishing Company's online "Faces of Valor" database, Nightline will show a picture of each serviceman and woman in succession with their name, military branch, rank and age.
Expanded by 10 minutes from its usual half-hour, Nightline will include more than 500 killed in action in Iraq since March 19, 2003, as well as 200-plus non-combat deaths.
Nightline executive producer Leroy Sievers, said that the program is their "way of reminding our viewers — whether they agree with the war or not — that beyond the casualty numbers, these men and women are serving in Iraq in our names, and that those who have been killed have names and faces."
The program has sparked a war of words as critics claim the special 40-minute program is anti-war. While Nightline calls it a "tribute," Sinclair Broadcast Group, a Maryland-based media company whose holdings include 62 TV stations, is pre-empting Nightline on its eight ABC affiliates, including stations in Columbus, Ohio; St. Louis, Mo.; and Charleston, W.Va.
The company said today's program "appears to be motivated by a political agenda designed to undermine the efforts of the United States in Iraq."
Nightline's anchor Ted Koppel, who will read the names of the fallen aloud, said "it's not implicitly anti-war" on ABC's Good Morning America today. "I think it's an appropriate thing to do."
"I'm not suggesting that people in this country don't know what's happening, but I think that periodically it is not unreasonable to remind everyone of who these young people are and what they look like," said Koppel.
Comment