Sinclair Chief Says Print Media ‘Serves No Real Purpose’: It’s ‘So Left Wing As To Be Meaningless Dribble’
Sinclair Broadcasting Group has suddenly become a hot topic in recent days after it was reported that the media giant was forcing its local TV anchors to read a script that decried “fake news” at other media outlets, essentially parroting President Donald Trump’s complaints of media bias. This was followed by Deadspin creating a mashup video of hosts reading off the script, a clip that quickly went viral.
In the wake of this controversy, comments made by Sinclair’s chief about the print media will likely come back to haunt the company.
Telling New York Magazine that print media “serves no real purpose,” Sinclair executive chairman David Smith added that he has never read a true article about the conservative-leaning broadcaster in print.
“I must tell that in all the 45 plus years I have been in the media business I have never seen a single article about us that is reflective of reality especially in today’s world with the shameful political environment and generally complete lack of integrity,” he wrote in emails sent to New York in November 2017. “Facts and truth have been lost for a long time and likely to never return.”
Smith continued, “The print media is so left wing as to be meaningless dribble which accounts for why the industry is and will fade away. Just no credibility.”
Sinclair management recently sent out a memo to its employees defending the promo while hitting back against
media critics, stating that the script was part of a “corporate news journalistic responsibility promotional campaign.” Meanwhile, it has just been reported that Sinclair employees have been ordered not to talk to the media about the issue.
UPDATE 12:16 PM ET: The emails that Smith sent New York Magazine were sent in November 2017. Our original article indicated that Smith’s remarks were made in response to the recent controversy surrounding Sinclair. The post has been amended to make clear that the emails are months-old and not tied to the current news cycle.
[photo via Getty Images]
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