A MUST read: KOMO and the nightmare of Sinclairs propaganda machine

[nolabear]

I’m freaked out about a lot these days but this hits very hard. Our local news is going through hell, and you know it’s happening all over the country.


https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/tv/turmoil-inside-komo-news-as-conservative-owner-sinclair-mandates-talking-points/

[rsdsharp]

1. We have a Sinclair station in Des Moines.

It's KDSM, channel 17, the local Fox affiliate. They don't do local news. Instead, that air the news from channel 13, WHO, the NBC affiliate. However, they do so at 9 PM, rather than 10 PM, when WHO does the local news.

I wonder how they handled the propaganda piece, since they have no news anchors or reporters.

[nolabear]

4. Good question. We have secondary stations too

though not the Sinclair one.

[cab67]

18. there are two of them in Cedar Rapids.

[nolabear]

2. Kicking my own thread.

[SonofDonald]

3. Yeah it's messed up

I grew up watching KOMO but haven't for years now, at Least the Seattle Times took the high road.

I read the Tacoma News Tribune now owned by McClatchy, always a great paper but has had a little more right wing letters to the editor lately.

But that could be because the deplorables are getting a little antsy these days and every one of the letters are a railing against the supposed failures of the democrats.

No reasoned discourse involved in any of them, just smoking bile.

They are fun to laugh at though.

It seems the people of our bent just don't see the need to argue with those who can't accept reality so there hasn't been a lot of response to these ventings.

You can't fix stupid.

[apnu]

5. Sinclair is the modern day Hearst (nt)

[nolabear]

6. Was Hearst a government tool?

I’m a journalism junkie so hate to admit I don’t know.

[apnu]

9. I don't believe so, but did Hearst leverage his media empire for political gain?

Yes.

Did he force his journalists to present and sell his politics to the American people. He protected political allies and destroyed enemies.

The parallels with Hearst here is how media works. For those who don't know it goes like this:

Owner of the media (be it print, radio, or tv) hires producers (tv, radio) or editors (print).

Producers/Editors hire journalists/personalities.

Journalists/personalities develop content, producers/editors approve content, owners pay everybody.

When owners want a certain view, and they usually do, they pressure producers/editors to pressure the talent to get that view. If the talent won't tow the company line, they're out. If the producers/editors don't tow the line, they're out.

Really its about food vs ethics. Every journalist or content producer knows they will have to one day choose between their professional ethics and their paycheck. Its rare to find a place to work where both can happily co-exist. Usually one or the other has to take a hit. Hearst was famous for developing a stable of hungry editors and reporters willing to say whatever Hearst wanted them to say.

Sinclair is doing the same thing. Fox News, under Roger Ailes, did the same thing. Fox News, post Ailes is changing. I'm not sure what its changing into, but its clearly in flux. They still do the same thing, but I'm not sure for how much longer.

The common thread among all three is authoritarianism and a political view that we now call "conservative" today. Hearst, Fox News, Sinclair -- all conservatives leveraging their power and media to influence information the American People should have.

Another famous journalistic example is Edward R. Murrow. When he took on McCarthy, he had all kinds of producer issues to get that famous broadcast out the door. Doing so damaged his career with CBS, and made it difficult for him to find work where he could continue to do the kind of controversial journalism he wanted. In the end, when the opportunity to get rid of Murrow appeared, CBS took it. Murrow sacrificed his food for his ethics in the end. But he knew that was the cost and he never regretted it.

[nolabear]

10. Thanks. Im now going to look up books on journalism history.

[apnu]

16. There's a ton on Hearst and Murrow, check them out.

Hearst is famous for "yellow journalism" which, once you understand it, you'll see its exactly what Fox News and Drudge Report does. Murrow is fascinating for his ethical choices and courage to defend his ethics and sense of decency in a time when few people, of power, were doing that sort of thing, much like now.

Also check out "Good Night and Good Luck" (2005) film which is a kind of bio of Murrow and his famous McCarthy piece. But do know that is a film adaptation and historical liberties were taken. The jist of what I'm talking about did happen, Murrow had to choose between his food (job, paycheck) and his ethics and chose to gamble on an ethical stand. He knew what he was getting into and he knew how pissed off his bosses (CBS, not his producer) would be and he chose to face that fire. And face it he did, for the rest of his life.

Its a good movie, gives you all warm feelings about one of journalism's gods and how awesome he is, with a heavy dose of Hollywood awesome. So grain of salt, required, IMO.

[nolabear]

21. Oh yes, I know Murrow and the greats from back in the day.

And Good Night and Good Luck is really good. I’m acquainted with more obvious history but the sausage making in the last, say, thirty years I have only peripheral knowledge of.

Thanks again.

[apnu]

22. I brought up Murrow and Hearst because I see history repeating itself right now.

How the journalism sausage is made hasn't changed much in American history. Hearst pressured his editors who pressured their reporters. Murrow felt the pressure from high up and took a stand.

Not much different from what we see today with Fox News and Sinclair. Same too for the liberal side of things. We like to pretend that there was this time of journalistic integrity in American history and that we can some how get back to it. But that's a fantasy, America has never had a time where the media was neutral and honest.

Let's not forget that both John Adams and Ben Franklin, among other Founding Fathers, were rich men who had their own media outlets and shamelessly used them to rail against the English crown.

[yonder]

19. thanks, apnu

[Mme. Defarge]

7. Thanks!

A relief to know there’s resistance to this travesty.

[SonofDonald]

8. Sinclair said "It's promo's served no political agenda"

But I saw a screen on the Rachel Madow show last night that had what? 30 Sinclair reporters all saying the exact same thing.
about fake news.

So they are flat out lying to us now.

So hey KOMO Chanel Four in Seattle, you are dead to me now forever.

And you can kiss my ass.

[nolabear]

11. I know. And some really good journalists are struggling with the dilemma.

I can’t watch them any more either. I can’t trust them. And that is terrifying.

[SonofDonald]

12. I remember the days

Of Sandy Hill from KIRO

And Jean Enerson from KING.

Those were the days when local news had gravitas.

The good old days.

[ismnotwasm]

13. K&R

[mountain grammy]

14. I'm kicking, sharing, retweeting and doing whatever I can

to keep this story alive.

[leftieNanner]

15. I plan to call my local Sinclair station

and tell them that I will not watch ANYTHING on their channel (not just the news) unless they stop reading this Orwellian crap.

Just like Fox Noise, it's all about money and if local people stop watching, their ad revenue goes down.

[catbyte]

17. Maybe local affiliates should pull a Borowitz. Seriously.

Sinclair TV Anchor Suddenly Begins Reading News in Russian

AKRON, OHIO (The Borowitz Report)—Viewers of the Sinclair station in Akron were startled on Monday when a longtime news anchor, Carol Foyler, inexplicably began reading the evening news report in Russian.

Foyler, who is not of Russian heritage, greeted her audience with a hearty “Zdravstvuyte,” and then read the evening’s top stories entirely in her newly adopted language.

After racing through the local coverage, Foyler abruptly segued to footage of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, admiring the launch of his nation’s highly touted new Satan-2 missile.

.........snip

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/sinclair-tv-anchor-suddenly-begins-reading-news-in-russian

[aggiesal]

20. Again, time to go after advertisers n/t