WGN's Possible Owner Airs Media-Bashing Segment On Its Stations

If you've scrolled through your Facebook feed lately, you might have noticed two anchors reciting a script handed down by Sinclair Broadcast Group warning viewers of the perils of biased and false news pervasive on social media. Those same anchors likely also vowed to report fairly and accurately, and asked you to comment on their website if you thought reporting crossed ethical lines.

Sound familiar? Well, you’re not alone.

A new analysis from media watchdog group Media Matters for America found that dozens of news stations — at least 66 across 29 states and Washington, D.C. — recited some version of the same script to their combined millions of viewers. And they’re all required to do so by Sinclair.

Sinclair doesn't own stations in the Chicago area, but it does have properties in the Peoria-Bloomington; Champaign-Urbana-Springfield-Decatur; Hannibal, Missouri-Quincy; and South Bend, Indiana, markets. KHQA-TV in Quincy and WSBT-TV in South Bend both aired the

WATCH: Anchors from WSBT-TV in South Bend read the Sinclair-approved, media-bashing lines:

While Sinclair doesn't currently own any Chicago area stations, it has a potential $3.9 billion merger with Tribune Media Co., which owns WGN-TV, waiting for approval by the FCC and the U.S. Department of Justice. Although it would have to sell WGN, as well as stations in New York City and San Diego, in order to comply with federal limits on TV station ownership, Sinclair would still operate the station through an agreement with a prospective buyer.

RELATED: Tribune Media Sold To Sinclair Broadcast Group For $3.9B

The watchdog says the “hostage video”-like segments — which the group likened to propaganda — echo President Donald Trump’s attacks on the press. The ads began airing on March 23, and besides Illinois, they've run in California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New York, Texas and elsewhere.

Timothy Burke, video director at Deadspin, tracked down the local affiliates and found out when the scripts had been force-read, as he called it. He then spliced the numerous broadcasts into one, giant video, each uttering a familiar phrase:

• “The sharing of biased and false news has become all too common on social media.”
• “Unfortunately, some members of the media use their platforms to push their own personal bias and agenda to control exactly what people think.”
• “This is extremely dangerous to our democracy.”

Last month, CNN first reported that Sinclair would require its anchors to record a promotional video about “the troubling trend of irresponsible, one-sided news stories plaguing our country.”

RELATED: WGN-TV To Be Sold To Allow Sinclair-Tribune Media Merger

Peter Chernin, a media investor and longtime president of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., called the Deadspin video “insidious,” The New York Times reported. Democratic Rep. David Price of North Carolina on Monday called the video “alarming,” “disturbing” and “pro-Trump propaganda.”

On Monday, CNN obtained a memo in which senior vice president of news Scott Livingston defended the promos, calling them a "well-researched journalistic initiative focused on fair and objective reporting."

Livingston disputed reports that local anchors were embarrassed that they had to recite the scripts and blasted what he called “misleading, often defamatory stories" about the company, CNN reported.

"For the record, the stories we are referencing in this campaign are the unsubstantiated ones (i.e. fake/false) like 'Pope Endorses Trump' which move quickly across social media and result in an ill-informed public," Livingston wrote. "Some other false stories, like the false 'Pizzagate' story, can result in dangerous consequences. We are focused on fact-based reporting. That's our commitment to our communities."

Trump also, unsurprisingly, weighed-in on the matter Monday morning.

“So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased,” he said in a tweet. “Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.”

Patch reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

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