Sinclair Aware
Most of us think of Fox news as the channel that brainwashed our parents, but had never heard of the Sinclair Broadcast Network until they cancelled Jimmy Kimmel. They caved quickly, but Sinclair has been pushing right-wing propaganda including “must run” segments for more than a decade. Think of them as the gateway drug to Fox. If you watch a station they own, they’re slipping a dose in every night.
What to know:
In 2017 John Oliver aired a twenty minute expose on “local” stations owned and directed by giant Sinclair Broadcast Group. His piece created enough scrutiny to scrap a merger with Tribune that would have been them a near monopoly, but Sinclair still owns 295 TV stations across 89 markets.
Beyond the inherent issue with one company having such extensive saturation of “local” stations, Sinclair routinely provides “must run” content that is consistently right-wing. In 2018 the Sports News station Deadspin compiled a video of dozens of Sinclair stations airing a word-for-word warning about…media consolidation controlling what people think.
Concerned? The next step is to identify local Sinclair stations. Even if you keep watching them, you’ll be far more aware of the mandatory PSAs and right-wing lean. Knowing what you’re seeing is a good first step to innoculation!
If you’re thinking about boycotting entirely, make sure what you replace them with is actually better. Nextstar bought Tegna last fall, making it an even bigger conglomerate with similar right-leaning inclinations. Whenever you’re able, support small local independent stations. The rest of the time, just be aware of what you’re watching!
