Sinclair tells stations to air media-bashing promos - and the criticism goes viral [View all]

[orangecrush]

Sinclair tells stations to air media-bashing promos - and the criticism goes viral
By Brian Stelter April 1, 2018: 6:37 PM ET
Sinclair Broadcast Group's corporate mandates are exacerbating tensions between the company's local stations and its management.
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Journalists in local markets are chafing at the company's requirements, including a new promotional campaign that echoes President Donald Trump's anti-media rhetoric.

The promos, first reported by CNNMoney last month, went viral over the weekend after Deadspin edited dozens of them together to show how anchors across the country were told to read the same script.


"It sickens me the way this company is encroaching upon trusted news brands in rural markets," an investigative reporter at Sinclair told CNNMoney on condition of anonymity.

The company's conservative-leaning politics have come down to Sinclair's stations through "must runs" — stories local producers are told to air during their newscasts. The "Terrorism Alert Desk" is a recurring segment. Pro-Trump commentaries by former Trump campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn are another "must-run" feature.

http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/01/media/sinclair-anchor-promos/index.html