This John Oliver piece is a must watch. It illustrates the danger of having one company or corporation controlling a broad swath of any media outlet. Why? — Because they have the power to manipulate the news and people as John Oliver explains perfectly in discussing Sinclair Broadcast Group’s deception.
John Oliver slams Sinclair Broadcast Group’s media manipulation
Sinclair Broadcast Group is the most significant owner of local TV stations in the country. That’s alarming considering that they often inject political views into local news.
John Oliver ran this story a few months back. But with the November 2018 election approaching and Sinclair Broadcast Group pushing to acquire an over-expanding cut of local media, we must revisit it and ensure the FCC blocks them from further acquisitions.
WASHINGTON — With anticipation that the Department of Justice will eventually give approval to Sinclair Broadcast Group’s acquisition of Tribune Media, what’s being watched now is just what stations the combined broadcasting giant will be forced to sell to secure a government green light. Sinclair needs Justice Department and FCC approval for the $3.9 billion deal, in which it would have unprecedented reach of 72% of the country. Recent filings with the FCC suggest that it will seek waivers to own more than one top-four station in a market. …
For now, the FCC has paused its review of the merger until Sinclair files its own plan to divest stations. The deal has drawn fire from public interest groups and Democrats in part because of the “must run” political commentary and pre-packaged news segments. That has included opinion pro-Trump segments from Boris Epshteyn, a former campaign and administration official.
America is at a flex point. It had so misinformed and made a large segment of the population dumb that media manipulation is now the strings to control the puppets, the American people.