newsletter for analysis you wont find anywhereelse. Staffers at KOMO in Seattle and other Sinclair stations chipped in donations to the group a gesture of goodwill to partly make up for the lost $25,000. A Sinclair executive lashed out at criticism of Sinclair in an internal memo, according to Politico. 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To figure this out, we are in desperate need of a real-time database for super PAC spending,along with transparency on which media and platform owners fund lobbyists. It is intended to be the backbone of our civilization and functioning governance. Analysis / Bias Sinclair has been scrutinized by multiple media outlets for consistently favoring conservative politics. Romneys record received less scrutiny. Henry Kravis and George Roberts, owners of Business Insider and the German news empire Axel Springer and who recently purchased Politico and co-founded KKR Private Equity, collectively gave over $1.2 million. Sign up to receive our freeWatchdog email newsletter, a weekly investigation in inequality from Public Integrity. Dielectric is a designer and manufacturer of broadcast systems including all components from transmitteroutput to antenna. Fuck Ajit Pai On May 8, Sinclair announced its plan to buy Tribune Media Company and its 42 television stations for $3.9 billion a merger made possible by the Trump administration relaxing regulations on broadcast ownership." The plan is to keep the US politically divided. It doesnt put them in any ethical bind whatsoever, Sinclairs vice president of strategy and policy Rebecca Hanson told the Post. Here, theres little doubt that anyone on staff that contributes to the corporate PAC, their money will not only be used to promote Sinclairs policy preferences around broadcasting laws, but general conservative political causes and candidates.. Epshteyns segments are must runs, so all the Sinclair stations across the country will air them along with their other must-run segments including conservative commentary from Mark Hyman and the Terrorism Alert Desk segments. 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. Sinclair Broadcast Group raised $37,024 in the 2019-2020 election cycle. A local Montana station bought by Sinclair in May refused to air audio of then-Republican Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte assaulting Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs, with its news director saying, The person that tweeted [Jacobs] and was allegedly body slammed is a reporter for a politically biased publication, according to New York magazine. Sinclair defended the promos as non-partisan and its chairman was defiant, calling criticism "nonsense." The company doubled down, yanking a $25,000 donation to the National Press Photographers. Right-Leaning Sinclair Broadcast Group Solicits Political Donations. 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. No surprise, Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan collectivelygave over $2.5 million, mostly to Republicans. Our teams make the critical difference in how we perform and their skills, talents and determination separate us from our competitors. For the 2016 election cycle, Sinclairs PAC made $82,375 in donations to federal candidates. Jeff Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, gave but $15,000over the past20 months through his PACs Blue Origin and Amazon while his net worth grew to near $200 billion. After yet another mass shooting, the national debate over gun policy renews. 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 announced in April that it hired Boris Epshteyn, a former Trump official, as its chief political analyst. From the April 17 press release: Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) is pleased to announce that Boris Epshteyn, an accomplished commentator and strategist, has joined the company as chief political analyst and will provide analysis and insight on major political stories. News stories and features favorable to Trump or that challenged Clinton were distributed to Sinclair stations on a must-run basis that is, the stations were required by managers in Washington to make room in their evening newscasts or morning programs for them. In March 2018, Sinclair required all stations to air a video of local anchors reading a script decrying the "troubling trend . NY Times: Sinclair Has Advanced A Mostly Right-Leaning Agenda Since George W. Bushs Presidency. The KECI station manager told HuffPost that the station did not have specific instructions or any instruction from Sinclair regarding the Gianforte story. Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. [Politico, 12/16/16]. Sinclair Broadcast Group, the country's largest operator of local television stations, is in the process of buying Tribune Media. Major news organizations buried the most damaging. The spokesman said the campaign also worked with other media outlets that had affiliates, like Hearst, to try and spread their message. Yet, we know little about their political views or how that money is being spent. Kushner said that as part of the deal, Sinclair would broadcast their Trump interviews across the country without commentary. From the December 16 article: Donald Trump's campaign struck a deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group during the campaign to try and secure better media coverage, his son-in-law Jared Kushner told business executives Friday in Manhattan. Full transparency of political funding allows journalists to hold newsroom and social media platform owners to account. Investigating the systems and circumstances that contribute to inequality. If the medium controls the message, then we are asking these questions to make out your character, media owners. That has included its refusal to broadcast an episode of Nightline devoted to reciting the names of every member of the military killed in action in Iraq in 2004, and air[ing] parts of a documentary critical of the anti-Vietnam War activities of 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, John Kerry. During 2017 and 2018, more than half of Fox PACs contributions to candidates went to Democrats, such as $9,000 to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.; $5,750 to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. and $5,000 to Sen. Bob Casey, D-Penn. 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. 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. Its giving a fresh coat of paint to the media I think Circas working the other side of the street [from the mainstream media]. We believe Sinclair Broadcast Groups people are our most important asset. It was a standard package, but an extended package, extended story where youd hear more directly from candidate on the issue instead of hearing all the spin and all the rhetoric, Livingston said. On May 8, CNN reported that Sinclair Broadcast Group, Americas biggest owner of local TV stations, has agreed to buy Tribune Media for $43.50 per share, valuing the deal at $3.9 billion. CNN also noted that Tribune operates dozens of TV stations across the country, and has a cable channel, WGN America; a 32% stake in the CareerBuilder web site; and a 31% stake in the Food Network. [CNN.com, 5/8/17]. 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. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. 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 . Sure, Henry Luce, the iconic publisher of Time, Fortuneand Life magazines, put his thumb on the scale. 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! 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. DC Fox PAC also gave $30,000 each to party committees aiming to elect Democrats and Republicans to each chamber: the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, federal records indicate. NY Times: Vast Majority Of Political Donations By Sinclair Chairman And His Brothers Have Been For Republican Causes. The New York Times reported that Sinclairs chairman and his brothers have become active in politics, with the vast majority of their money being funneled to Republican causes. From the May 3 article: Along the way, [Sinclair Chairman David] Smith and his brothers have become active in politics. Full Measure is an award-winning, weekly national news program, focused on investigative, original, and accountability reporting. ", A viral video compilation of local TV anchors is raising new concerns about the way Sinclair Broadcast Group mixes news with conservative, partisan political opinion. For the 2018 election cycle, so far Sinclair has given 75 percent of its donations to Republican candidates. Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue, gave $6,000. The federal agency that regulates the U.S. television industry slapped the . 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. A Small Light Review: Bel Powley Shines in NatGeos Sensitive Take on the Anne Frank Story, NBCU Shake-Up: Andy Lack Out at News, Mark Lazarus to Oversee Entertainment, Four More Exhausting Years? That's how Putin wins. Certainly we presented an opportunity so that Mr. Trump could clearly state his position on the key issues, Livingston said. 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. Follow the money on gun rights and gun control groups. CHARGE! Among Democrats, Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida got $2,500 and Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana received $1,500. Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. The Washington Post reported in 2014 that Sinclair and its executives have been consistent financial contributors to Republican candidates. [The Washington Post, 9/16/14]. 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. A reporter from a Sinclair affiliate was one of two people called on by Trump during his February 13 press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit OpenSecrets. Through an editorial edict, the company mandated anchors at its 193 local TV stations to . [Media Matters, 2/13/17]. Marc Benioff, the current owner of Time who's, active in homelessness issues in San Francisco,gave only $5,000 to his Salesforce.com PAC. Data for the current election cycle was released by the Federal Election Commission on The NPPA has received $11,000 in recent . 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. Sinclair and its affiliates have a history of airing. 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. THE HILL 1625 K STREET, NW SUITE 900 WASHINGTON DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 TEL | 202-628-8503 FAX. [1] They are doing great work, Cernovich told The Daily Beast. 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. She also pushed false reports about supposed government waste during the Obama administration and made inaccurate claims about the federal health care website based on partial information likely given to her by Republicans. Sinclair Media Networks (SMN) is the division of Sinclair that reaches the companys entire broadcast audience across its national footprint. Open Secrets following the money in politics, OpenSecrets Following the money in politics. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window). I found these figures wanting. Wash. Post: Sinclairs Stations Have Been Used To Attack Democrats Or To Boost Republicans. The Washington Post reported in 2014 that after Sinclair purchased Washingtons ABC affiliate WJLA-TV, the channel took a subtle but noticeable turn to the right. The Post added that Sinclairs stations have been used to attack Democratic candidates or to boost Republicans, and on the eve of 2012 presidential elections, Sinclair stations in several battlegrounds states aired a corporate-produced half-hour news special that criticized then-President Barack Obama and his policies. Mark E. Hyman is an American political commentator and former television executive. The broadcast company is asking that the gifts be made to the Sinclair PAC to fight deregulation efforts, andupholda Federal Communications Commission rule that allows media corporations to buy more stations, according to The Washington Post. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 News directors were asked to discuss the issues outlined in the memo with staffers. OpenSecrets Following the money in politics. While its not uncommon for media executives to donate to political candidates and committees, its often taboo if not against company rules altogether for working journalists to make political contributions. Look up your friends and patriotsat the FEC. The Daily Callers OmeedMalik donated $150,000. [M]uch of the reporting about Sinclair in recent months has been irresponsible and much of it is just plain false, Livingston wrote in the memo. 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. Saying that Mr. Obamas supporters had sent 93,000 e-mails to the Sinclair broadcasting company for carrying the advertisement, Tommy, a campaign spokesman, said, Other stations that follow Sinclairs lead should expect a similar response from people who dont want the political discourse cheapened with these false, negative attacks. [The New York Times, 8/27/08], Sinclair Gave Conservative Conspiracy Theorist Sharyl Attkisson Her Own Show. Sinclair Releases 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance Report, Sinclair to Report First Quarter 2023 Results on May 3, 2023 at 7:30 a.m., Sinclair to Build NextGen Data Distribution Core Network, Sinclair Broadcast Group Announces Distribution Agreement with YouTube TV to Add, Sinclair Broadcast Group and ONE Media 3.0 to Participate in NAB Show, Las Vegas, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and ONE Media 3.0 Launch, Sinclair Selects AWS as its Preferred Cloud Provider, Sinclairs Project Baltimore Wins Prestigious IRE Award, Sinclair Announces Holding Company Reorganization, Major Broadcasters Launch NextGen TV on Four Local Television Stations in Des, NewsON Adds Raleigh-Durham DMA to Platform with Addition of WRAL, Sinclair Broadcast Group to Provide Production for USC Shoah Foundation to. Circa News, an online outlet bought by Sinclair in 2015, has become a favorite of Sean Hannity among other Fox News personalities, along with far-right troll Mike Cernovich and Donald Trump Jr., with what critics claim is a stealthy emphasis on right-leaning, Trump-friendly content, according to The Daily Beast. A story earlier this month in the New York Times said that Sinclair requires its stations to run stories that lean right. The station has also begun to carry pieces produced by Sinclairs Washington bureau about national issues and federal programs. [The Daily Beast, 7/12/17]. During the 2015-2016 election cycle, two-thirds of Sinclair PAC's donations to candidates, or $54,000, went to Republicans: Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois and Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri received the biggest checks $5,000 each. The reporter, who is also a correspondent for Attkissons show, asked a softball question about how Trumps philosophical differences with Trudeau would affect cooperation on trade and terrorism, instead of asking him about reports spreading at the time that then-national security adviser Michael Flynn may have violated federal law. December 2002. So were sharing some with you.. Is this newly minted class of wealth really absent from politics and political influence? Even after the initial tweet was taken down, however, users began to come across other unrelated KBOI stories that shared this photo of McKesson at a protest rally. The average employee at Sinclair Broadcast Group makes $58,204 per year. They range from reports about its must run segments to morale at its Washington station WJLA. Skip to Navigation; . Washington, The president singled out CNN and NBC. such as textbooks, contact OpenSecrets: info[at]crp.org. Soft money donations to parties were banned after the 2002 cycle. 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. Democrats are wading in to the fray and demanding answers over. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. 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. Our commitment to our viewers is to go beyond podium, beyond the rhetoric. The Sinclair executive referred in the email to unpopular deregulatory initiatives, undertaken by the Federal Communications Commission and chairman Ajit Pai in recent months. Mr. Epshteyn most recently served as Special Assistant to The President and Assistant Communications Director for Surrogate Operations for the Executive Office of President Trump. Subscribe to Here's the Deal, our politics newsletter. Kushner highlighted that Sinclair, in states like Ohio, reaches a much wider audience around 250,000 listeners than networks like CNN, which reach somewhere around 30,000. We do not believe these journalists are incompetent, so we are left to conclude that they are biased. Heidi Legg is the lead research fellow at the Future of Media Project at the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University. During one of the Carson interviews, Sinclair managers provided questions for local- station reporters to ask, such as Dr. 09/27/22 2:08 PM EDT, A short history of the right-wing politics of Sinclair Broadcasting, Filings from the Dominion lawsuit against Fox left breadcrumbs for the Smartmatic defamation case ahead, Blaze TV's Steve Deace: Peter Thiel is a homosexual corporatist who won't fund Ron DeSantis because he's actually serious about this groomer stuff, Washington Post Fact Checker compares Biden correctly pointing out deficit reduction during his administration to Trump-style propaganda, At NewFronts, advertisers should be wary of Americano Media's hateful and dangerous brand, Steve Bannon calls the Murdochs demonic, A Sinclair-owned Nashville station pushed right-wing narratives in response to the Covenant School shooting, Most Georgia local TV stations have buried Herschel Walker's tax and residency scandal, Sinclair Broadcast Group is justifying Republicans' despicable migrant flights. Follow the money on gun rights and gun control groups. Still, some do. we are sinclair We believe Sinclair Broadcast Group's people are our most important asset.