| Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Public affairs/investigativenews magazine |
| Created by | Scott Livingston |
| Presented by | Sharyl Attkisson |
| Theme music composer | 615 Music |
| Opening theme | "Sinclair News Package" by 615 Music |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 119 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Batt Humphreys[1] |
| Producer | Kim Skeen[1] |
| Production locations | Sinclair Broadcast Group Washington Bureau,Washington, D.C.[1] |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company | Sinclair Television Group |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | October 4, 2015 (2015-10-04) – present |
| Related | |
| News Central | |
Full Measure is an AmericanSunday morning political affairs andinvestigativenews magazineseries hosted by investigative journalistSharyl Attkisson. The program is produced, broadcast, andsyndicated by the Sinclair Television Group. It is shown on mosttelevision stations operated by theSinclair Broadcast Group division, initially broadcast at 9:30 a.m.Eastern Time on Sundays in some stations and later in the day by others. It is alsostreamed live-to-air on the program's website, FullMeasure.news.[2] Topics often include coverage of government spending or actions considered inappropriate.
Full Measure is named after a line in theGettysburg Address honoring soldiers who died fighting for the United States. The show differs from other Sunday public affairs programs because it does not utilize the common week-in-review political discussion or panel discussion formats, which Attkisson intended to avoid due to the prevalence of existing programs formatted this way. The magazine-format program instead features a mix of multiple long-form reports conducted by Attkisson and a team of correspondents – with a focus on investigative "accountability journalism" centering onpolitical andsocioeconomic issues (includingwasteful project spending by state and federal governments,political whistleblowing, andfraud andabuse of power by corporations andspecial interest groups).[1]
The reports featured on the program deal mainly with topical matter that Attkisson considers to be "untouchable topic[s]" by other news organizations, intended to be reported in a manner that would not be "steer[ed] in a [ideological] direction just to prove a point". Although it departs from the standard Sunday morning talk show format,Full Measure also features interviews with political figures in the news. The premiere broadcast on October 4, 2015 featured an interview conducted by Attkisson withRepublicanpresidential candidateDonald Trump.[3][4] Sinclair executive David Smith met with Trump during the2016 election year, in which he told the future president, "We are here to deliver your message."[5] It was part of a pitch to have reporters embedded in the Trump campaign.
On April 22, 2015, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that it reached an agreement with Attkisson to host a half-hour weeklyWashington, D.C.–based news program that would debut on most of Sinclair'sABC,NBC,CBS,Fox, andCW-affiliated stations in 79 markets, including those operated by partner companies such asDeerfield Media andCunningham Broadcasting that fall.[6][7] The creation of the Full Measure program came as Sinclair began to venture further into original programming development (having already produced a weekly program forRing of Honor after its 2011 purchase of the wrestling promotion, as well as owning theAmerican Sports Network syndication service, and the distribution ofThe Right Side with conservative commentatorArmstrong Williams, who has an interest inHoward Stirk Holdings, another company close to Sinclair), a move solidified through an investment/development deal withThe Tornante Company (owned by formerWalt Disney Company CEOMichael Eisner) which was announced that July.[8]
Attkisson had been working as a freelance correspondent for Sinclair's Washington bureau since 2014 after she resigned as Washington, D.C. bureau correspondent forCBS News the year before, following claims detailed in her 2014 book,Stonewalled, that computers in Attkisson's CBS office were hacked and infected withspyware, and that the correspondent experienced editorial interference from CBS News management while trying to report in a manner she perceived as fair. The contentious topics related to theObama administration, such as the investigation of the2012 Benghazi attack and the rollout of thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Attkisson had filed reports syndicated to the Sinclair group's news-producing stations for their local evening newscasts, and then she officially joined the Sinclair bureau full-time in June 2015.[9]
In announcing the program, its title, and premiere date,[1][10] Sinclair Television Group vice president of news Scott Livingston stated that the program's goal is "to provide the context and perspective on major issues impacting our viewers", and he noted that Attkisson's "unwavering commitment to exposing government waste, abuse and impropriety will be the foundation of our news program".[9] Several former CBS News production staff members were hired for the program, including its executive producer, Batt Humphreys (who formerly served as executive producer ofThe Early Show and as the division's director ofStandards and Practices).[11]
Sinclair gave Attkisson editorial control ofFull Measure, allowing it to deal with topics that may be perceived as controversial or having a political or ideological agenda. Sinclair has been criticized by some media advocacy groups in the past for its syndicated weekly conservative commentary segments hosted by company vice presidentMark Hyman since 2003 and has produced programs critical ofDemocratic candidates in past presidential elections.[2][12]
