Sinclair Reporters Whine Trump's Endorsement 'Actually Hurts' Them by Acknowledging Company's Conservative Bias
President Donald Trump's attempt to support Sinclair Broadcasting Group spectacularly backfired as his partisan description of the organization harmed its public image.
Trump lashed out at his own administration's FCC leadership for refusing to approve an acquisition plan that risked creating an illegal system of control over stations that should be divested from Sinclair Broadcasting.
"So sad and unfair that the FCC wouldn't approve the Sinclair Broadcast merger with Tribune," Trump wrote in a Tuesday tweet. "This would have been a great and much needed Conservative voice for and of the People. Liberal Fake News NBC and Comcast gets approved, much bigger, but not Sinclair. Disgraceful!"
So sad and unfair that the FCC wouldn’t approve the Sinclair Broadcast merger with Tribune. This would have been a… https://t.co/8LKvxxuRrY— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1532479156
Journalists with Sinclair were baffled by Trump's ineffective advocacy.
"Trump's tweet actually hurts us — because of the conservative line," an unnamed Sinclair employee told CNN.
Other journalists echoed this opinion to CNN.
In an interesting twist, Fox News chief Rupert Murdoch benefits from the FCC decision, since Sinclair Broadcasting would have become a major competitor.
