Sinclair’s Weekly Worst: Hyman Smears Leading Civil Rights Group
Every week Allied Progress will share a selection of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s “Must Run” segments. These are biased segments that Sinclair headquarters famously mandate that all of their 191 stations run. If Sinclair’s merger with Tribune is approved, a total of 233 stations – reaching 72 percent of American households – will be forced to air these segments every week.
Journalists at Sinclair object to their airing. Experts call them propaganda. Allied Progress watches them…so you don’t need to.
This week’s Sinclair Low-Lights…
FEATURED LOW-LIGHT: On October 31, Mark Hyman dedicated his segment to attacking the Southern Poverty Law Center, one of the nation’s leading civil rights organizations. He cited a shoddy report from the Washington Free Beacon to suggest financial malpractice by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and criticizes the organization for their widely acclaimed map and list of hate groups. Hyman repeats false claims about certain right wing personalities being placed on the list, and defends some of the country’s most radical anti-LGBT hate groups such as D. James Kennedy Ministries and Liberty Counsel, as “Christian ministries.”
On November 2, Hyman shilled for a Republican House welfare “reform” bill to add additional work requirements to public assistance, even though work incentives already exist in the current SNAP program.
RUNNER UP: On last Sunday’s “Full Measure,” Sharyl Attkisson works to twist new Gallup data to imply that Trump’s election has actually made the country happier. Despite Gallup’s data consistently showing Trump’s approval ratings in the mid to low 30s, Attkisson clings to Gallup’s “happiness” index in the U.S., claiming that the measure “is more accurate, in some ways, when looking at the mood of a country than many other things we look at.” After Gallup’s Jon Clifton explains a slight rise in the index this year, Attkisson randomly plays a clip of Trump saying, “the people of this country should be very comfortable.” Not so subtle, Sharyl.
BONUS: Looks like pumping up Trump’s ego paid off for Sharyl. She landed an exclusive one-on-one with the President that will air this Sunday.
Happy Friday!
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