An email was sent out to all news employees in the Sinclair Broadcast group. The contents of the email:
I want to remind everyone of our policy regarding personal political postings and fairness with our reporting. I'm seeing a troubling trend across many of our stations with one-sided political coverage. I want to make sure you're taking time to review with your team the importance of understanding our commitment to tracking the truth and challenging the accepted narrative in the mainstream media. I have been reviewing some of the reaction on our stations' social media accounts about a liberal bias in our reporting. After watching numerous stations' newscasts and reviewing our Facebook pages, I think there is reason to be concerned. While criticism of the media from both the political left and right is not unprecedented, it has become far more prevalent in recent months. We have to understand we are the news operation that takes additional steps to make sure our reporting is fair and unbiased.
This election was emotionally charged with many strong reactions and opinions, but as journalists we must remain objective. We will not tolerate any deviation from our goal to provide fair and balanced coverage.
It's important for us to understand viewers' frustration with the lack of depth in reporting on the transition of power. We're witnessing less objectivity from a variety of media outlets. This is potentially perilous to our profession because when viewers and readers lose trust in us, they stop consuming the news we produce.
Trust in the media has been declining in the last decade due to biased reporting. What we do is truly a privilege and it's our responsibility to make sure our coverage is fair. We must provide the context of these hot button political stories so our viewers understand that we're committed to providing more than the rhetoric.
The Chairman of our company, David Smith, has received several complaints from board members who have received calls about biased coverage.
We will not allow our platform to be used to exploit someone's personal agenda. Our commitment to factual reporting is the foundation of our credibility, now more than ever.
Sinclair Broadcast Group is the largest owner of TV stations in the nation. With over 100 stations under its belt, it has a larger audience than Fox News Channel or CNN. More folks get their news from their local broadcast than from Cable or Network.
The major players in station ownership are :
Sinclair Broadcast Group 100+ Stations
Gannett 23 Stations
Hearst 29 Stations
Tribune 23 Stations
Belo 20 Stations
Scripps 19 Stations
Among the markets they have ownership in:
3 markets in Florida
WJLA in DC
3 markets in Iowa
1 market in Maine
WBFF in Baltimore
3 markets in Michigan
Minneapolis-St Paul
Omaha Nebraska
3 markets in Nevada
3 markets in North Carolina
3 markets in Ohio
4 markets in Pennsylvania
3 markets in Virginia
3 markets in Wisconsin
I don’t think their influence is taken seriously. They just reach so many people.
And they definitely DO have a bias.
am i missing something?