President Trump lauded Sinclair Broadcasting Group as “superior” to cable news networks CNN and NBC News after dozens of local news anchors on Sinclair-owned networks read from the same script last month bashing “biased and false news.”
Sinclair, the biggest owner of local television stations in the country, has been ridiculed in the media and on late-night television after video of dozens of local reporters reciting the same script about fake news went viral.
“The sharing of biased and false news has become all too common on social media,” the anchors said. “Some members of the media use their platforms to push their own personal bias.”
“This is extremely dangerous to our democracy,” they said.
CNN interviewed several Sinclair employees who were embarrassed by the script, saying it hurt the company’s credibility.
Scott Livingston, Sinclair’s senior vice president of news, told The Baltimore Sun that the goal of the message was to reiterate the company’s “commitment to reporting facts.”
“The stories we are referencing in this promo are the unsubstantiated ones (i.e. fake/false) like ’Pope Endorses Trump’ which move quickly across social media and result in an ill-informed public,” Mr. Livingston said.
“Some other false stories, like the fake ’Pizzagate’ story, can result in dangerous consequences,” he continued. “We are focused on fact-based reporting. That’s our commitment to our communities. That’s the goal of these announcements: to reiterate our commitment to reporting facts in a pursuit of truth. We consider it our honor and privilege to deliver the news each night. We seek the truth and strive to be fair.”
Mr. Trump came to the company’s defense in a tweet Monday morning, writing, “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.”
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
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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