Re: "merely providing a forum for Sinclair is unlikely to get them in trouble."

But that doesn't mean that they made the correct, ethical choice.

The NY Times, WaPo, and all major newspapers routinely reject ads that they feel would discredit their news organization.

NPC have a choice, they are not mere captives of anyone who knocks on their door and asks to rent a conference room. The press conference broke every journalistic principal that the NPC claims to stand for. Their passivity in the face of Sinclair's mendacity, was bewildering as it was deeply troubling.