Staples Says MoveOn 'Misrepresented' Advertising Decision

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SPARTANBURG, SC (Talon News) — Office supplies retailer Staples announced on Thursday that they will continue to advertise on Sinclair Broadcasting television stations despite being “misrepresented by an organization with no affiliation to Staples” after the company’s decision to remove advertising from a political television commentary segment this week.

As Talon News reported on Thursday, liberal online political action group MoveOn.org has joined forces with the leftist organization Media Matters for America to lobby advertisers of “The Point,” a popular daily conservative political commentary segment featuring Sinclair Vice President Mark Hyman, to pull their support for the show.

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These groups sent a letter to the president and CEO of Sinclair last month urging the broadcasting company to cease the “steady stream of one-sided anti-progressive and pro-Bush rhetoric that is broadcast without a progressive counterpoint.”

Media Matters for America created a web site at SinclairAction.com to allow people to complain to advertisers of “The Point” and to ask them to stop supporting the show.

In fact, both Media Matters for America and MoveOn.org took credit for getting Staples, Inc. to not renew its advertising contract with Sinclair nationwide because of the feedback they received from visitors to SinclairAction.com.

“We want to thank all our supporters for contacting Staples, Inc. and other Sinclair Broadcasting advertisers across the country — in voicing your concerns,” Media Matters for America said in a statement. “You have sent a clear message to Sinclair that one-sided, conservative rhetoric does not make for good business.”

But in a statement from Staples regarding their media buying on Thursday, they said their decision to pull advertising on Sinclair stations had nothing to do with anything Media Matters for America or MoveOn.org was doing.

“Our media buying process with Sinclair Broadcasting stations has recently been misrepresented by an organization with no affiliation to Staples,” the statement began. “Staples regularly drops and adds specific programs from our media buying schedule, as we evaluate and adjust how to best reach our customers. We do not let political agendas drive our media buying decisions.”

Maintaining the position that Staples “does not have a policy against advertising on Sinclair Broadcasting news,” the statement goes on to say they are an apolitical company and do not allow their own views to determine who they do or do not advertise with.

“Staples does not support any political party,” the statement continued. “We advertise with a variety of media outlets, but do not necessarily share the same views of these organizations or what they report.”

Although Media Matters for America and MoveOn.org claim that Staples pulled their advertising from Sinclair because of pressure from them, the world’s largest office supply retailer said nothing could be further from the truth.

“As we have done for a number of years, Staples will continue to advertise on Sinclair Broadcasting stations,” the statement concluded.

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