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"Here we have a Trump appointee who's dumping all consumer safeguards to enable Sinclair to reach more than 70 percent of the country with its racist views and Republican talking points." (Photo: Freepress Action Fund)
The FCC Chairman Is Under Investigation
The New York Times is reporting this morning that the FCC inspector general is actively investigating whether FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and his aides improperly pushed for rule changes that would clear the way for Sinclair's purchase of Tribune Media.
Feb 16, 2018
That's right: Pai is so sketchy that his own agency has launched an investigation against him.
The right-wing Sinclair, which wants to buy Tribune Media, already owns more local-TV stations than any other company. The broadcaster and the Trump team had a cozy relationship throughout the campaign -- and Jared Kushner even claimed that the campaign struck a deal for more favorable coverage. And Pai met with Sinclair executives three days before Trump appointed him to chair the FCC.
Since his appointment as FCC chairman, Pai has worked overtime to clear the decks for Sinclair's purchase of Tribune: He's reduced the agency's longstanding media-ownership limits and overturned rules that required broadcasters to maintain physical studios wherever they broadcast.
Conflict of interest, much?
Everything about the Sinclair-Tribune deal is offensive. Here we have a Trump appointee who's dumping all consumer safeguards to enable Sinclair to reach more than 70 percent of the country with its racist views and Republican talking points.
And Sinclair isn't an ordinary broadcast conglomerate. It overrides the objections of local journalists and forces its stations to run daily conservative commentaries and biased stories on the local news -- including features from the "Terrorism Alert Desk," which depicts all Muslims as terrorists.
If that weren't enough, this deal is straight up against the law. It would violate a congressional mandate that says that one company can't reach more than 39 percent of households nationwide.
With an active investigation of Pai underway, there's no way he should be involved in reviewing this deal.
Demand that Pai recuse himself from decisions on the Sinclair merger.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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That's right: Pai is so sketchy that his own agency has launched an investigation against him.
The right-wing Sinclair, which wants to buy Tribune Media, already owns more local-TV stations than any other company. The broadcaster and the Trump team had a cozy relationship throughout the campaign -- and Jared Kushner even claimed that the campaign struck a deal for more favorable coverage. And Pai met with Sinclair executives three days before Trump appointed him to chair the FCC.
Since his appointment as FCC chairman, Pai has worked overtime to clear the decks for Sinclair's purchase of Tribune: He's reduced the agency's longstanding media-ownership limits and overturned rules that required broadcasters to maintain physical studios wherever they broadcast.
Conflict of interest, much?
Everything about the Sinclair-Tribune deal is offensive. Here we have a Trump appointee who's dumping all consumer safeguards to enable Sinclair to reach more than 70 percent of the country with its racist views and Republican talking points.
And Sinclair isn't an ordinary broadcast conglomerate. It overrides the objections of local journalists and forces its stations to run daily conservative commentaries and biased stories on the local news -- including features from the "Terrorism Alert Desk," which depicts all Muslims as terrorists.
If that weren't enough, this deal is straight up against the law. It would violate a congressional mandate that says that one company can't reach more than 39 percent of households nationwide.
With an active investigation of Pai underway, there's no way he should be involved in reviewing this deal.
Demand that Pai recuse himself from decisions on the Sinclair merger.
That's right: Pai is so sketchy that his own agency has launched an investigation against him.
The right-wing Sinclair, which wants to buy Tribune Media, already owns more local-TV stations than any other company. The broadcaster and the Trump team had a cozy relationship throughout the campaign -- and Jared Kushner even claimed that the campaign struck a deal for more favorable coverage. And Pai met with Sinclair executives three days before Trump appointed him to chair the FCC.
Since his appointment as FCC chairman, Pai has worked overtime to clear the decks for Sinclair's purchase of Tribune: He's reduced the agency's longstanding media-ownership limits and overturned rules that required broadcasters to maintain physical studios wherever they broadcast.
Conflict of interest, much?
Everything about the Sinclair-Tribune deal is offensive. Here we have a Trump appointee who's dumping all consumer safeguards to enable Sinclair to reach more than 70 percent of the country with its racist views and Republican talking points.
And Sinclair isn't an ordinary broadcast conglomerate. It overrides the objections of local journalists and forces its stations to run daily conservative commentaries and biased stories on the local news -- including features from the "Terrorism Alert Desk," which depicts all Muslims as terrorists.
If that weren't enough, this deal is straight up against the law. It would violate a congressional mandate that says that one company can't reach more than 39 percent of households nationwide.
With an active investigation of Pai underway, there's no way he should be involved in reviewing this deal.
Demand that Pai recuse himself from decisions on the Sinclair merger.
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