Russian influence on the 2016 election was likely real. But the programming and indoctrination of Americans continue by the faction of the plutocracy via Right Wing Media manipulation more so than the Russians. This TV conglomerate is forcing its hundreds of stations to lie to its millions of viewers. This manipulation is dangerous and will kill our democracy if not arrested now.
Right Wing media manipulation through local broadcast station ownership
How America's largest local TV owner turned its news anchors into soldiers in Trump's war on the media: https://t.co/iLVtKRQycL pic.twitter.com/dMdSGellH3
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) March 31, 2018
CNN’s Brian Stelter wrote a piece where he exposed Sinclair’s Right Wing Media manipulation a few weeks ago.
“This is so manipulative.” That’s an anchor at a local TV station owned by Sinclair, describing the company’s latest mandate, a promotional campaign that sounds like pro-Trump propaganda. Internal documents call the new initiative an “anchor delivered journalistic responsibility message.”
But the staffers who shared the documents with CNN say the promos are inappropriate — yet another corporate infringement on local journalism. “At my station, everyone was uncomfortable doing it,” a local anchor said. The person insisted on anonymity because they believed they would be fired for speaking out. Other local anchors also said the promos were a source of dismay in their newsrooms.
As scripted, the promos decry “fake stories” from national news outlets — echoing President Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric about “fake news.” The promos are supposed to start airing on local stations later this month. The instructions sent to station news directors say that the 60- and 75-second spots should run frequently “to create maximum reach and frequency.” …
In recent years Sinclair’s owners, the Smith family, have made several programming decisions that reflect a right-wing agenda. Most noticeably, pro-Trump commentaries by former Trump aide Boris Epshteyn have cut into local news time. Local journalists have also bristled at so-called “must run” packages about subjects that aren’t relevant to local audiences — but are hot-button stories for conservatives. The “Terrorism Alert Desk” is a regular segment about security threats around the world.
ThinkProgress transcribed the following script that Sinclair forces anchors at its local station to read.
Hi, I’m(A) ____________, and I’m (B) _________________…
(B) Our greatest responsibility is to serve our Northwest communities. We are extremely proud of the quality, balanced journalism that KOMO News produces.
(A) But we’re concerned about the troubling trend of irresponsible, one sided news stories plaguing our country. The sharing of biased and false news has become all too common on social media.
(B) More alarming, some media outlets publish these same fake stories… stories that just aren’t true, without checking facts first.
(A) Unfortunately, some members of the media use their platforms to push their own personal bias and agenda to control ‘exactly what people think’…This is extremely dangerous to a democracy.
(B) At KOMO it’s our responsibility to pursue and report the truth. We understand Truth is neither politically ‘left nor right.’ Our commitment to factual reporting is the foundation of our credibility, now more than ever.
(A) But we are human and sometimes our reporting might fall short. If you believe our coverage is unfair please reach out to us by going to KOMOnews.com and clicking on CONTENT CONCERNS. We value your comments. We will respond back to you.
(B) We work very hard to seek the truth and strive to be fair, balanced and factual… We consider it our honor, our privilege to responsibly deliver the news every day.
(A) Thank you for watching and we appreciate your feedback.
The video above shows the over-one-hundred stations’ anchors reading the script like robots, several stations, one message forced upon them. This action is dangerous because it flies under the national radar even as the messaging becomes national (the total of locals doing the same thing is in fact, nationwide).
America, we must be ever vigilant. This piece from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is a must watch.