Sinclair Broadcasting seems to have appeared out of nowhere. Without many of us being aware of it, this one company is on the threshold of managing a large proportion of U.S. television stations.

Who is Sinclair Broadcasting?

According to Jon Talton (“As Rules Faded Away, Sinclair Stepped In,” The Seattle Times, April 8, 2018) the company requires “right-wing talking points to be aired on its local stations…”

This not only takes away from local reporting. It also makes a mockery out of reporting “news.” The stations, if they implement the Sinclair model, become propaganda machines, not reporters of facts.

When radio appeared in 1912, the airwaves were considered public. The federal government began issuing licenses.

When television was later introduced, the Federal Communications Commissions enacted the Fairness Doctrine. It required balanced coverage of controversial issues. Though national networks appeared, like NBC and CBS, the ownership of stations was mostly local. In fact, Sinclair began as a locally owned station in 1971 in Baltimore.

Talton details how the Fairness Doctrine was eaten away over the years by lawsuits and deregulation under both Democratic and Republican administrations. “This opened the way for the success of Rush Limbaugh and imitators, who couldn’t have broadcast their shows without balance under the old rule.”

Limits on the ownership of local stations were lifted, and thousands of local stations were bought by a few big owners, including Sinclair.

According to Talton, the government watchdogs were captured by the broadcasting industry. He points to Ajit Pai, President Trump’s FCC chairman, as aggressively rolling back rules.

Local reporting is being overtaken by news slanted to particular political interests.

But, as Talton says, we can all turn off irresponsible broadcasters like the Sinclair stations. We still have the option of listening to legitimate television and radio stations and subscribing to good newspapers. We have choices. So far.