ONE local television anchor compared the experience to being a prisoner-of-war recording a proof-of-life video. Others called it merely embarrassing. Either way, scores of TV newsreaders at local stations squirmed after colleagues at CNN, the cable-news network, caught wind of a media-bashing political commentary being run on outlets owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, America’s largest operator of local television stations. The look of the spots is glossy, with nicely-coiffed television anchors leaving the safety of their desks to stand directly before the cameras, before delivering a heartfelt attack on the ethics of much of the news media. A leaked corporate memo instructed: “Talent should dress in jewel tones”, while avoiding hues associated with elections, such as red, blue or purple.
Sinclair insists that the spot was a non-political appeal to viewers to trust local TV news. An early version of the script accused “national media outlets” of running untrue stories without...Continue reading
Source: United States https://ift.tt/2uKP8P8
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