When the Shoe Is on the Other Foot

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Earlier this month, my liberal and news media friends went into a state of panic over a recent report the Sinclair Broadcast Group was pushing the owner's conservative agenda through their many television outlets. It wasn't bad enough the owner was a conservative, but it was alleged by CNN the Sinclair stations were now being forced to run segments in support of President Trump.

Sinclair was founded in Baltimore, Maryland (now in Hunt Valley) by Julian Sinclair Smith, who passed away in 1993. Since then, the company has been run by his family who subscribes to conservative principles. Sinclair is a force to be reckoned with as it is the largest television station operator in the country and commands the largest total coverage with 100 markets, and likely more on the way.

Although there are no Sinclair based television stations in my area, Tampa Bay, they own WKRC-TV in my old stomping grounds of Cincinnati, Ohio. WKRC is a well known station that has served the Queen City for many years. Anyone remember "Skipper" Ryle or Nick Clooney?

CNN was the first to break the story, claiming, by the end of the month, Sinclair will require all of its local news anchors to condemn "national media outlets" for "fake stories" and "using their platforms to push their own personal bias." The Washington Post took this a step further by claiming, "During the 2016 presidential campaign, Sinclair was criticized for reportedly ordering its stations to air news stories favorable to Donald Trump on a mandatory, or 'must-run,' basis."

The reason the Left is concerned with Sinclair is because television news has surpassed the printed media in terms of market penetration, and local news broadcasts are more trusted than national networks. In other words, Sinclair has developed considerable political influence, and the fact they wish to promote conservative dogma scares the hell out of liberals and the news media.

When I first heard of the Left's concern, I was, frankly, amused by their reaction. They would have us believe the news media is unbiased, something the public simply does not believe and explains why journalistic integrity has plummeted in recent years.

ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, MSNBC, et al are widely regarded as bastions of the Left, certainly not "fair and balanced." This is why I found the liberal reaction so amusing. Let's be clear about the press in this country: it has always had an agenda and always will. This goes back to the 18th century when newspapers were founded simply to preach the politics of one side or another. They were used to stoke the fires of the Revolution, sell the Constitution to the American public (see "Federalist Papers"), and promote the interests of north versus south prior to the Civil War.

This is why I find the Left's revelation about Sinclair amusing. They simply realize the Right is starting to put up a fight, and they do not like it. Whereas conservatives had to endure Liberal dogma for many years on television, now it is the Left's turn. When the Left screams "foul" claiming Sinclair should practice journalistic impartiality, all I can say is, "Don't make me laugh!"

The only thing possibly worse for the Libs is if a conservative late night talk show would be introduced. I think their heads would spin off.

Keep the Faith!

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Copyright © 2018 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.