Carlton Sherwood is a controversial American journalist who produced the anti-
John KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, and is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee....
film
Stolen HonorStolen Honor is a 45-minute video documentary that was released in September 2004. It features interviews with a number of American men who were prisoners of war in North Vietnam, who contend they suffered increased maltreatment while prisoners as a direct result of John Kerry's Fulbright Hearing...
. Sherwood served on two news teams which were responsible for the award of the
Pulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by Hungarian-American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City....
and the
Peabody AwardThe George Foster Peabody Awards are annual, international awards for excellence in radio and television broadcasting. First awarded in 1941 for programs from the previous year, they are one of the oldest honors in electronic media...
to their organizations.
After working for the
Unification ChurchThe Unification Church is a new religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. In 1954, the Unification Church was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea as The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity...
-owned
Washington Times, he authored
Inquisition : The Persecution and Prosecution of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, a book about the
Sun Myung Moon tax fraud and conspiracy caseIn 1982, Sun Myung Moon, the founder and leader of the Unification Church, was imprisoned in the United States after being found guilty by a jury of willfully filing false Federal income tax returns and conspiracy...
which involved
Sun Myung MoonSun Myung Moon is the Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church. He is also the founder of many other organizations and projects involved in political, cultural, artistic, mass-media, educational, public service, and other activities. One of the best-known of these is the...
, the leader of the same church.
Sherwood is a decorated
MarineThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for providing force projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
veteran who served in
Vietnam's De-Militarized ZoneThe Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone was established as a dividing line between North and South Vietnam as a result of the First Indochina War.During the Second Indochina War , it became important as the battleground demarcation separating North Vietnamese territory from South Vietnamese territory.-...
.
In 1987, the Blinded American Veterans Foundation established the annual Carlton Sherwood Media Award to recognize "both journalistic excellence and those members of the media who have shown special interest in — and dedication to — the needs and concerns of American veterans."
Sherwood, John M.
Carlton Sherwood is a controversial American journalist who produced the anti-
John KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, and is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee....
film
Stolen HonorStolen Honor is a 45-minute video documentary that was released in September 2004. It features interviews with a number of American men who were prisoners of war in North Vietnam, who contend they suffered increased maltreatment while prisoners as a direct result of John Kerry's Fulbright Hearing...
. Sherwood served on two news teams which were responsible for the award of the
Pulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by Hungarian-American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City....
and the
Peabody AwardThe George Foster Peabody Awards are annual, international awards for excellence in radio and television broadcasting. First awarded in 1941 for programs from the previous year, they are one of the oldest honors in electronic media...
to their organizations.
After working for the
Unification ChurchThe Unification Church is a new religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. In 1954, the Unification Church was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea as The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity...
-owned
Washington Times, he authored
Inquisition : The Persecution and Prosecution of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, a book about the
Sun Myung Moon tax fraud and conspiracy caseIn 1982, Sun Myung Moon, the founder and leader of the Unification Church, was imprisoned in the United States after being found guilty by a jury of willfully filing false Federal income tax returns and conspiracy...
which involved
Sun Myung MoonSun Myung Moon is the Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church. He is also the founder of many other organizations and projects involved in political, cultural, artistic, mass-media, educational, public service, and other activities. One of the best-known of these is the...
, the leader of the same church.
Sherwood is a decorated
MarineThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for providing force projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
veteran who served in
Vietnam's De-Militarized ZoneThe Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone was established as a dividing line between North and South Vietnam as a result of the First Indochina War.During the Second Indochina War , it became important as the battleground demarcation separating North Vietnamese territory from South Vietnamese territory.-...
.
In 1987, the Blinded American Veterans Foundation established the annual Carlton Sherwood Media Award to recognize "both journalistic excellence and those members of the media who have shown special interest in — and dedication to — the needs and concerns of American veterans."
Award-winning reports
Sherwood, John M. Hanchette, and William F. Schmick, were responsible for the Gannett News Service winning the 1980
Pulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by Hungarian-American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City....
public service gold medalThe Pulitzer Prize for Public Service has been awarded since 1918 for a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper through the use of its journalistic resources which may include editorials, cartoons, and photographs, as well as reporting. It was meant to be first awarded in...
. The award was for a series investigating a fund-raising scandal involving the Pauline Fathers of
Doylestown, PennsylvaniaDoylestown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 34 miles north of Philadelphia. At the turn of the century in 1900, 3,034 people lived in the borough of Doylestown, and in 1910, 3,304 people lived there. As of the 2000 census, the borough population was 8,227...
and the
VaticanThe Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Roman Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
's role in the subsequent cover up. It was the first time this award was given to a
wire serviceWire Service is an American drama series that aired on ABC as part of its 1956-57 season lineup.-Synopsis:Wire Service focused on three reporters for the fictional Trans-Globe wire service, which was similar to real-life news wire services such as the Associated Press and United Press International...
.
Sherwood also was part of a team of reporters who documented abuse, neglect, and deaths among children, the aged, and the mentally ill cared for by Oklahoma's Department of Human Services. The investigation culminiated with articles published by Gannett, a special report produced by Karen Burns and Bill Lichtenstein which aired on the ABC News Magazine
20/2020/20 is an American "television newsmagazine", , broadcast on ABC since June 6, 1978. Created by ABC News executive Roone Arledge, the show was designed similarly to CBS's 60 Minutes but focuses more on human interest stories than international and political subjects...
entitled "Throwaway Kids" and a report, "Oklahoma Shame", which aired on Gannett-owned TV station KOCO in
Oklahoma City, OklahomaOklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's estimated population as of 2008 was 551,789, with an estimated metro-area population of 1,206,142...
. The series was honored with a 1982 Peabody Award.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
In a November 1983 four part series for Washington DC television station
WDMVWBOC-TV, channel 16, is a CBS affiliate based in Salisbury, Maryland. WBOC-TV is owned by the Draper Holdings Business Trust, with its main studios in Salisbury, secondary studios/office facilities in Dover and Milton, Delaware, and transmitter in Laurel, Delaware...
Channel 9 called "Vietnam Memorial: A Broken Promise?".
- ...he "raised serious questions regarding the financial propriety" of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, a private organization that raised $9 million to build the wall. Sherwood reported that only $2.6 million had been spent and wanted to know where the rest of the money was.
Bob Doubek, project director for the Fund, said that "It was a hit piece. All of Sherwood's stuff was conjecture, smoke and mirrors." To prevent a lawsuit, the station aired a retraction and donated $50,000 to the Fund. Sherwood was arrested and charged with illegally taping one of the subjects of the report, John P. Wheeler III, chairman of the Fund and special council to the chairman of the SEC. The charges against Sherwood were later dropped. An audit of the Fund by the General Accounting Office, made public in May 1984, concluded that Sherwood's charges regarding the Fund were baseless.
In December, the station refused to air another report by Sherwood criticizing the Fund. Sherwood quit and got a job for the
Washington Times at a lower salary. A
New York Times headline on this controversy read "Reporter's Project Ruins His Career". (July 17, 1984)
Inquisition
In his book
Inquisition: The Persecution and Prosecution of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, Sherwood concluded:
- "The Unification Church, its leaders and followers were and continue to be the victims of the worst kind of religious prejudice and racial bigotry this country has witnessed in over a century. Moreover, virtually every institution we as Americans hold sacred the Congress, the courts, law enforcement agencies, the press, even the U.S. Constitution itself was prostituted in a malicious, oftentimes brutal manner, as part of a determined effort to wipe out this small but expanding religious movement."
Sherwood's independence from the subject matter, however, was called into question. Sherwood had previously worked for the
Washington Times, owned by members of the Unification Church.
In the story "The Resurrection Of Reverend Moon" (January 21, 1992), the PBS television series
Frontline produced a copy of a letter addressed to Moon, written by James Gavin, a leader in Moon's
Unification ChurchThe Unification Church is a new religious movement founded by Korean religious leader Sun Myung Moon. In 1954, the Unification Church was formally and legally established in Seoul, South Korea as The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity...
. Gavin tells Moon he reviewed the "overall tone and factual contents" of the book before publication and suggested revisions. Gavin adds that "Mr. Sherwood has assured me that all this will be done when the manuscript is sent to the publisher." Gavin concludes by telling Moon, "When all of our suggestions have been incorporated, the book will be complete and in my opinion will make a significant impact.... In addition to silencing our critics now, the book should be invaluable in persuading others of our legitimacy for many years to come."
Stolen Honor
During the 2004 presidential campaign, Sherwood produced the anti-Kerry documentary
Stolen HonorStolen Honor is a 45-minute video documentary that was released in September 2004. It features interviews with a number of American men who were prisoners of war in North Vietnam, who contend they suffered increased maltreatment while prisoners as a direct result of John Kerry's Fulbright Hearing...
, which presented the viewpoints of a number of American Vietnam War veterans who contend that
John KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, and is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee....
's anti-war activities harmed them. The journalistic standards of this piece were widely called into question. Sinclair Broadcasting planned to broadcast it on the eve of the general election, stating that they considered it to be newsworthy. After the ensuing controversy, Sinclair did not broadcast the film.
Stolen Honor was a project of Red, White and Blue Productions based in
Harrisburg, PAHarrisburg is the capital of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 48,950, making it the tenth largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, Scranton, Bethlehem, Lancaster, and...
, whose public affairs are managed by Quantum Communications , a company owned by lobbyist Charles Gerow . In 2000, Mr. Gerow ran on the Republican ticket for Congress . In 2003, he was nominated by President Bush to be a Member of the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission . Sherwood is the president of Red, White and Blue while Gerow acted as publicist for the film.
Republican appointments
Sherwood formerly worked for Pennsylvania governor
Tom RidgeThomas Joseph Ridge is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives , Governor of Pennsylvania , Assistant to the President for Homeland Security , and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security...
, whom
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
later appointed as the first Secretary of Homeland Security. Sherwood and Ridge met when Ridge was a Congressman and a key critic of the planned Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Sherwood was reporting negatively on the Memorial Fund. The Bush administration subsequently selected Sherwood to create and manage a new federal website, http://www.firstresponder.gov, aimed at first responders (police officers, firefighters, etc.). The website is not yet active.
Sherwood currently serves as Executive Vice President and Director of Communications of the WVC3 Group, Inc., an anti-terrorism, security firm headquartered in Reston, VA.
According to his profile on the WVC3 website, Sherwood "served as Special Media Advisor to the Secretary of the Navy during the Reagan Administration."
Sherwood's criticisms of 'Presidential wannabes' in Nov 2003
On the 8th November, 2003, Carlton Sherwood appeared on the
Judicial Watch Report Radio Show. The host was
Tom FittonTom Fitton is the current president of Judicial Watch. He previously worked for America's Voice and National Empowerment Television, the International Policy Forum, the Leadership Institute, and Accuracy in Media. He also is a former talk radio and television host.Fitton has been with Judicial...
, Judicial Watch’s president. Sherwood had just returned from
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
and was invited onto the show to talk (via telephone) about the worsening security situation. At about 42 minutes and 10 seconds into the show, Sherwood said this:
"Every time I get up in the morning and I turn on the cable news and I see that one or two more of our soldiers have been killed it’s like a kick in the guts to me, personally. But it’s also a double whammy because I know what soundbite’s going to follow that. And you’re right. It’ll be some wannabe - a Presidential wannabe, or one of their aides, carping, almost gleefully, using your word, almost gleefully that, uh, this is one more evidence of a failure."
External links
- Bio from stolenhonor.com
- Red, White and Blue Productions - official site
- the wvc3 group - official site
- "Sleaze and smear at Sinclair" - Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online magazine, with content updated each weekday. American liberal politics is its major focus, but it covers a range of issues. Reviews and articles about music, books and films are also a prominent feature of the site....
, Eric BoehlertEric Boehlert is an American writer. He is a contributing editor to Rolling Stone, a former senior writer for Salon, and a senior fellow at Media Matters for America. He is the author of Lapdogs: How The Press Rolled Over for Bush. -External links:* at the Huffington Post* *...
, October 22, 2004
- Columnist Rick Freedman debunks the Swift Boat smear campaign World on Fire weblog
- "Stolen Honor producer Sherwood falsely claimed Winter Soldier investigation 'utterly discredited' " - Media Matters for America
Media Matters for America is a 501 non-profit organization founded in 2004 by journalist and author David Brock. Media Matters for America describes itself as "a web-based, not-for-profit, progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and...
article
- Hannity & Colmes gave Stolen Honor film producer Carlton Sherwood a forum for more smears of Kerry - Media Matters, September 10, 2004
- "News reports failed to mention Stolen Honor filmmaker's "defamatory" right-wing activism" - Media Matters, October 6, 2005
- Page trailing Sherwood's November 8, 2003 appearance on the Judicial Watch Report radio show. It says that Sherwood "will discuss what is really transpiring in the fight for a free Iraq. Is the government making progress in building a democracy in Iraq?". Download an audio file of the Nov 8th show here (84 MB RM file).