12% of Sinclair Broadcast Group employees are Hispanic or Latino. Amid growing political, legal and financial pressure, Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. late Tuesday revised its plan to broadcast a documentary critical of Sen. John Kerry's anti-Vietnam war activities. To request permission for commercial use, please contactus. Sinclair Broadcast Group, the country's largest operator of local television stations, is in the process of buying Tribune Media. These stories have generally been critical of the Obama administration and tend to offer perspectives primarily from conservative think tanks. According to Politico, while Attkisson was at CBS, network executives saw her wading dangerously close to advocacy against the Obama administration regarding the 2012 Benghazi attacks. See the details. Fox News Channel and CNN declined to run the spot amid legal questions. So far in 2017 and 2018, Republicans received 60 percent of Comcasts federal-level PAC contributions to candidates, or $715,000. Comcast, which owns NBC and MSNBC, donated more to federal-level Republican causes during the past four election cycles, largely favoring the right during the 2015-2016 election cycle. The memo is thought to be a fairly standard solicitation sent to employees of companies that have political action committees. 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. The outlet also noted that one of Circas reporters is a frequent guest on Hannity to discuss her blockbuster stories alleging various improprieties by former President Obamas national security adviser Susan Rice and fired FBI director James Comey, and casting doubt on rival media reports of possible Trump campaign collusion with Russia. From the July 12 article: In late 2015less than a year after that Wired [profile]Circa was purchased for an estimated $800,000 by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, the nations biggest owner of local television stations. Contributions to 527s are not included in the Individuals, PACs, Soft (Indivs), or Soft (Orgs) columns, so the sum Sinclair Aired An Ad In 2008 That Linked Obama To Weather Underground Founder Bill Ayers. Before the 2004 presidential election, Sinclair drew sharp criticism, including from Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, for its refusal to broadcast an episode of Nightline devoted to reciting the names of every member of the military killed in action in Iraq. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. While many parent corporations that own television networks, cable news or local stations do make political contributions through their PACs, its a practice that I find troubling since the reputation of a news organization depends in part on its ability to say that it is approaching stories from an impartial vantage point, without partisan bias, said Indira Lakshmanan, the ethics chair at the Poynter Institute. Sinclair Hired Former Trump Aide As Political Analyst. [Media Matters, 2/13/17]. David Zaslav, who led the merger with CNN and Discovery, donated over $240,000. However, the move breaks with the rules set in most major newsrooms, which ban journalists from making political contributions or to give to their companies PACs to help prevent a perception of bias in reporting. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Reporters and anchors employed by Sinclair did not receive this same request for funds. This summer, students from Tufts and Harvard universities spent time digging through the Federal Election Commission database with me. Sinclair stations aired five such interviews with Clinton running mate Tim Kaine and two with Chelsea Clinton but none with Clinton or another top surrogate. According to the source, Weindel said that they werent covering the story, though it was featured in outlets across the country at the time, explaining, The person that tweeted [Jacobs] and was allegedly body slammed is a reporter for a politically biased publication. Weindel then added, You are on your own for this., A report in HuffPost reveals that the station was acquired, last month, by the conservative media conglomerate Sinclair Broadcasting. Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. Its giving a fresh coat of paint to the media I think Circas working the other side of the street [from the mainstream media]. While election cycles are shown in charts as 1996, 1998, 2000 etc. Here are some top contenders, Tucker Carlson, on leaked video, derides Fox streaming service, Ben Hall to interview Blinken in return to Fox News airwaves after Ukraine injury, Supreme Court to consider overruling Chevron doctrine, Al Franken blasts Supreme Court: Its illegitimate, Senate rankings: Here are the 5 seats most likely to flip, Human brains show larger-than-life activity at moment of death. Federal government could default as soon as June 1, Treasury Secretary Yellen warns, Get the best insights and analysis delivered to your inbox, 2,276 groups organized as super PACs have reported, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Im a fan. Analysis / Bias Sinclair has been scrutinized by multiple media outlets for consistently favoring conservative politics. Top Sinclair officials have also helped fuel both Republican and Democratic campaigns, of late. In the Lyon and Grenoble metropolitan areas, and the Haute-Savoie department, INRAE units contribute to research activities at the Lyon-Saint-Etienne, Grenoble-Alpes, and Savoie Mont Blanc . Sinclair Broadcast Group is asking top executives, including news directors, to make donations to its political action committee, an unusual move that is raising concerns among media ethics experts. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. The president tweeted Tuesday that the "'Fakers' at CNN, NBC, ABC & CBS have done so much dishonest reporting that they should only be allowed to get awards for fiction! Skip to Navigation; . The average employee at Sinclair Broadcast Group makes $58,204 per year. Sinclair has used its 173 television stations to advance a mostly right-leaning agenda since the presidency of George W. Bush, according to The New York Times. Please visit our website on a larger screen to enter our interactive world. According to OpenSecrets, an independent nonprofit that tracks money in U.S. politics, as of last week, 2,276 groups organized as super PACs have reported their numbers. Drive Auto is the automotive marketing division of Sinclair, offering advertising tools, technology, and expert marketing guidance for auto dealers of all sizes. Craig Newmark has donated close to $100 million to journalism schools, content moderation research, new digital media outlets and journalists, as have Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, and big. 04/11/23 11:23 AM EDT, Article Afsaneh Beschloss, NPR Board of Directors, gave $614,300. [The New York Times, 5/3/17]. Sinclair Broadcast Group, the country's largest operator of local television stations, is in the process of buyingTribune Media. If . Cookie Notice Only 14.5% of the 412 owners, executives, board members and investors had given to individual candidates, traditional PACs or super PACs from January 2020 to August 2021, as trackedby the FEC. The Company owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 86 markets; is a leading local news provider in the country; owns multiple national networks; and has TV stations affiliated with all the major broadcast networks and owns and/or operates 21 RSN brands. The Sinclair executive referred in the email to unpopular deregulatory initiatives, undertaken by the Federal Communications Commission and chairman Ajit Pai in recent months. The organization paid more than $315,000 to Rowland Strategies, a Fells Point consulting firm, while law firm DLA Piper received about $61,000, filings show. I wrote about why I got a COVID shot:Then I was fired from my job. /r/Politics is for news and discussion about U.S. politics. While Sinclairs solicitation might raise the eyebrows of journalism purists, Ryan said there appears to be nothing legally noncompliant about the email. The vein has been exploited during . Edward Atsinger, a leading evangelical and co-founder of conservative Townhall Media,gave about $30,000. The president singled out CNN and NBC. The federal government has fined TV broadcaster Sinclair $48 million, largely because of actions it took in its failed attempt to acquire smaller rival Tribune Media. Spurred by the rapid proliferation of social media platforms, with questionable content,and a formerpresident who pummeled our free press repeatedly, its no wonder Americans are left wary and our information ecosystem is in shambles. Follow the money on gun rights and gun control groups. Look up your friends and patriotsat the FEC. Our teams make the critical difference in how we perform and their skills, talents and determination separate us from our competitors. In addition, Sinclair offered no stories about Clintons views about 9/11, about what role Chelsea Clinton might play in her mothers administration or about Bill Clintons campaign role. They received collectively more than $3 billion ($3,427,543,995) in the 2019-20 presidential election cycle and showed independent expenditures of more than $2.1 billion. Sinclair operates 185 television stations in 86 markets, including WBFF-TV, known as Fox 45, in Baltimore. The company is currently awaiting federal approval of a proposed $3.9 billion buyout of Tribune Media, which would add 42 more local television . This fake-news promo script was recently read on-air by dozens of local television newscast teams working for stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group a phenomenon Deadspin stitched into a video that this weekend went viral. There are two sides to every story, and Circa is telling the other side of the story., As for Circa News national security reporter, Sara Carter, Cernovich said: Shes become a real player, thats for sure., Carter is a frequent guest on Hannity to discuss her blockbuster stories alleging various improprieties by former President Obamas national security adviser Susan Rice and fired FBI director James Comey, and casting doubt on rival media reports of possible Trump campaign collusion with Russia (often alongside pugnacious Trump attorney Jay Sekulow, with whom Carter is said to be close). Individual donors gave Individual donors gave 41 large ($200+) contributions to Sinclair Broadcast Group PAC in the 2015-2016 election cycle. [Media Matters, 10/2/15], Wash. Post: Sinclair And Its Executives Have Been Consistent Financial Contributors To Republican Candidates." Already a broadcasting behemoth, Sinclair is looking to expand: 72 percent of American households would be covered by a Sinclair station if Sinclair acquires Tribune Media a deal the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission are reviewing. His well-documented views were notsecret. Le Rgne Minral, 35, 5-23. A Sinclair Affiliate Used APhoto Of Black Lives Matter Activist DeRay McKesson In Relation To Stories He Had Nothing To Do With. Since its founding in 1971, the Sinclair Broadcast Group has come to own or operate nearly 200 television stations in some 100 markets covering more than 40 percent of American households. 05/01/23 3:48 PM EDT, Video & Audio Donations include 140,000 toys and truckloads of food and clothing for local communities BALTIMORE - Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) today announced the company's television stations and Bally Sports regional sports networks (RSNs) collected truckloads of items for local charities through regional holiday drives, with Sinclair's television stations and RSNs hosting local . What are the details of Sinclair's expansion plans? Sinclairs owned/operated stations offer newsletters to provide breaking news and additional content from the community. 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Using the original ownership index, we tracked the political donations at 90 of the top U.S. news organizations. Follow the money on gun rights and gun control groups. Carson, you toured Detroit, your home town, with Donald Trump Saturday. In exchange, Sinclair would broadcast their Trump interviews across the country without commentary, Kushner said. Investigating the systems and circumstances that contribute to inequality. The ad is running in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. Archived post. Heidi Legg is the lead research fellow at the Future of Media Project at the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University. She has written extensively about the news media. Through an editorial edict, the company mandated anchors at its 193 local TV stations to . It doesnt put them in any ethical bind whatsoever, Sinclairs vice president of strategy and policy Rebecca Hanson told the Post. All Rights Reserved. Among Democrats, Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida got $2,500 and Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana received $1,500. Did Elon Musk, one of the biggest donors to Wikipedia, reallygive only $40,000 to political leaders and causesin 2020-21? During the 2015-16 cycle, Democrats among the likes of Rep. Xavier Becerra of California ($5,000), Rep. Joseph Crowley of New York ($6,000) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland ($7,000) earned 52 percent of the PACs checks to candidates, or $203,000. Maryland-based Sinclair Broadcast Group was fined a record $48 million by the FCC, the agency announced Wednesday. Many in Congress believe that broadcasters need more time to repack their stations, and more money to be fully reimbursed for their related expenses, he wrote. Democrats are wading in to the fray and demanding answers over. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. The Post noted that Sinclair-owned stations and its Washington bureau scored 15 exclusive interviews with Trump in a one year period, that they would positively frame questions for Trump surrogates, that a Sinclair executive and conservative commentator who appears on Sinclair stations regularly criticized Clinton or highlighted positions favorable to Trump in his on-air commentaries, and that news stories and features favorable to Trump or that challenged Clinton were distributed to Sinclair stations on a must-run basis. From the December 22 article: A review of Sinclairs reporting and internal documents shows a strong tilt toward Trump. He also said Sinclair stations all over the country reported that the FBI may have had a personal vendetta against Trumps former national security adviser Michael Flynn, aired anti-Clinton segments before the 2016 election, framed questions of the day for viewers in a pro-Trump fashion, and suggested issues regarding Islam somehow relate to terrorism. Mr. Epshteyn was a surrogate and Senior Advisor to the Trump Campaign, where he managed messaging. Farris Wilks, investor in the Daily Wire, gave $416,800 to Trump Victory and Club for Growth Action. Sinclair Broadcast Group executives said they will bring resources and stability to KOMO TV and 19 other television stations they'll get by acquiring Seattle-based Fisher Communications. Contributions by Source of Funds Sinclair Broadcast Group Affiliates i Cycle: 2020 Showing 1 to 3 of 3 entries Contributions to 527s are not included in the Individuals, PACs, Soft (Indivs), or Soft (Orgs) columns, so the sum of these columns may not equal the Total column. The memo, written by Sinclair's Vice President of News Scott Livingston and sent to Sinclair station news directors, said he wants to dispel some of the myths being reported about the organization. . Sinclair Broadcast Group, American telecommunications conglomerate, one of the largest television-station operators in the United States. Only 60 people in media leadership had donated more than$2,000 to a political candidate since 2019. CNN in March reported that some anchors and news staffers felt uncomfortable with Sinclairs fake news campaign, which seemed to parrot the frequent fake news rants of Trump. Marc Rowan at Apollo Management, the private equity firm that recently acquired Yahoo News for $5 billion, gave $1.75 million. Sinclair and its affiliates have a history of airing. Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. fired its Washington bureau chief late Monday after the reporter publicly objected to the company's plan to air a documentary attacking Sen. John Kerry's anti-Vietnam war activities this week. In 2015, Sinclair gave discredited former CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson her own show to air on Sinclairs stations. Sure, Henry Luce, the iconic publisher of Time, Fortuneand Life magazines, put his thumb on the scale. example, the 2002 election cycle runs from January 1, 2001 to The Times noted that Fox News Channel and CNN declined to run the spot amid legal questions. From the August 27, 2008, article: As Senator Obamas campaign makes its argument for his candidacy before a national audience here this week, it is waging a separate, forceful campaign against a new conservative group running millions of dollars of ads linking him to the 1960s radical William Ayers Jr. Lawyers for the campaign have asked the Justice Department to investigate the group which is operating under rules governing non-profit corporations calling on television stations to cease airing the spot, and, campaign officials said, planning to pressure advertisers on stations that refuse to do so. We believe our employees knowledge, dedication, and ingenuity may lead us to newer heights. The country's largest owner of local TV stations, the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which reaches over a third of homes across the nation, wants to get even bigger by merging with the Tribune. It also owns about 20 regional sports cable networks, a handful of . document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Use the unsubscribe link in the emails we send to opt out at any time. Politico later reported that Sinclairs vice president and director had donated to Gianforte the day after he was charged with assault. The sharing of biased and false news has become all too common on social media., More alarming, some media outlets publish these same fake stories without checking facts first., Unfortunately, some members of the media use their platforms to push their own personal bias and agenda.. So were sharing some with you.. For example: Sinclair-owned stations and its Washington bureau scored 15 exclusive interviews with Trump over the past year, including 11 during the final three months of the campaign in critical states such as Pennsylvania and Ohio. When it comes to political money, Sinclair-related contributions have generally skewed Republican for more than two decades with some notable exceptions, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of campaign finance data from the Federal Election Commission and nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. And while most users found no faults with the story, they did notice that the accompanying photo that of civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson was not at all an accurate representation of the facts. A Montana Sinclair Affiliate Did Not Air The Recording Of The Gianforte Assault, And ASinclair VP Donated To Him. Public Integrity doesnt have paywalls and doesnt accept advertising so that our investigative reporting can have the widest possible impact on addressing inequality in the U.S. Our work is possible thanks to support from people like you. NEW YORK The $3.9 billion buyout of Tribune Media by Sinclair collapsed Thursday, ending a bid to create a massive media juggernaut that could have rivaled the reach of Fox News.
