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Sinclair forces stations to air media-bashing promos, criticism goes viral

Sinclair Broadcast Group's corporate mandates are exacerbating tensions between the company's local stations and its management.

Journalists in local markets are chafing at the company's requirements, including a new promotional campaign that echoes President Donald Trump's anti-media rhetoric.

The promos, first reported by CNNMoney last month, went viral over the weekend after Deadspin edited dozens of them together to show how anchors across the country were told to read the same script.

"It sickens me the way this company is encroaching upon trusted news brands in rural markets," an investigative reporter at Sinclair told CNNMoney on condition of anonymity.

The reporter and other Sinclair employees in several different markets described tense conversations in their newsrooms and anger directed at the company's Hunt Valley, Maryland, headquarters.

A person in Sinclair management confirmed that tensions are on the rise.

The company's conservative-leaning politics have come down to Sinclair's stations through "must runs" — stories local producers are told to air during their newscasts. The "Terrorism Alert Desk" is a recurring segment. Pro-Trump commentaries by former Trump campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn are another "must-run" feature.

The new promo campaign took it to another level, causing even more consternation in local newsrooms.

Scott Livingston, the company's senior vice president of news, directed stations to have anchors read a script about "fake stories" and "personal bias" plaguing the media, according to a memo obtained by CNNMoney. The script — reminiscent of Fox News' old "fair and balanced" tagline — cast Sinclair's stations as the antidote.

Sinclair's political bent has been a factor in its pending acquisition of Tribune Media, which is under review by federal regulators. Sinclair is already the biggest owner of local television stations in the country — with 173 it either owns or operates — and Tribune would give it dozens more.

Related: FCC head probed over policies benefiting conservative broadcaster

The Sinclair employees who originally contacted CNNMoney about the promo shoot said they felt it advanced the company's agenda at the expense of their own credibility.

The employees said they felt they needed to speak anonymously because they were worried they could lose their jobs if identified.