When John Oliver does a segment about you, it's obvious just how much trouble you're truly in.
The "Last Week Tonight" host did a segment on Sunday, commenting on the recent controversy surrounding Sinclair Broadcast Group. The media conglomerate made local newscasters from around the country read the same prepared statement, attacking other news programs for "fake news." Viral videos have shown the statements being read in a layered format, demonstrating just how formulaic Sinclair was in their effort to send their message.
This isn't the first time Oliver has taken aim at Sinclair, either.
Sinclair in the crosshairs
Comparatively speaking, the segment on "Last Week Tonight" was relatively short compared to some of the deep dives Oliver enjoys. This one only lasted about four minutes. In the segment, he drew a comparison between hostages and the Sinclair broadcasters forced to read the statements, noting how uncomfortable it must've been to go on the air like that.
He also noted how the message came off as heavy propaganda. Oliver referred to the broadcasters as a "brainwashed cult," noting the irony that the message was meant to support independent media. He also pointed out that Sinclair is in the process of buying Tribune Media Company, which would only serve to increase their power and reach, further harming the very independent media they claim to promote.
Oliver does it once again
This is not the first time the HBO personality has taken aim at Sinclair Broadcast Group. Over the summer, he also did a piece on them. That piece talked more about the still-pending merger with Tribune. Local news is generally more trusted than national news, studies have shown. If a national corporation with a political bent buys up all of the local news stations, that equation would need to change.
At least that's part of the argument Oliver appeared to be making.
At the time, Oliver created a counter-message in response to Sinclair. He used a star from "The Sopranos" to do it. Maybe he should do that again.
Regardless, the country is much more aware of the threat Sinclair Broadcast Group poses to local, independent journalism now.
There might not seem like a great deal we can do about it, however. We can monitor what we watch and diversify our source material, but we might not be able to block this pending merger.
Leave it to John Oliver to bring it to the forefront of our minds.
