Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of hundreds of local news stations across the U.S., has come under fire after a video showcasing dozens of reporters delivering the same speech to viewers in their respective communities went viral.
Millions of viewers last month heard an identical warning about the danger of fake news, media bias, social media’s role in spreading false information, and what a threat this all poses to democracy. A reporter from Deadspin put together a video compiling dozens of clips of Sinclair’s journalists reciting this message, and it immediately went viral on Saturday.
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
Unsurprisingly, since Sinclair has a right-leaning, pro-Trump bias, the president felt the need to defend the company on Twitter.
“So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased,” he wrote. “Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.”
So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased. Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2018
But the video speaks for itself, and the warning news anchors are seen giving their viewers feeds right into Trump’s anti-media hysteria.
The scary part is, the problem of fake news and media bias is a real threat to democracy, as the journalists in the video say over and over again. But it’s even more dangerous when those guilty of putting out blatant propaganda use genuine concerns to dress themselves up as an antidote.
Clearly it bothered Trump to see one of the most influential media companies be exposed for the propaganda arm that they are.
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