The framers of the Constitution worried that a mob of misinformed voters would elect a “tyrant” who would command dangerous amounts of power with dangerous results.” Fox News, Sinclair Broadcast Group and social media just made their worst fears come true.
Disinformation spread by Fox News, Sinclair Broadcast Group and social media controlled enough of the electorate to seal Trump’s win. Social media reached many more viewers than Fox, CNN & MSNBC.
False Claims
For example, they claimed that hordes of migrants are responsible for brutal crime waves, which is totally false — native-born Americans commit three times the crimes that immigrants commit. Fox and Sinclair also expressed damning opinions about inflation and the overall economy that were the opposite of what the positive figures show on actual inflation, unemployment, and GDP.
Europeans, who have not been assaulted by reams of disinformation, are understandingly perplexed by Americans’ dismal views of the economy. The Economist magazine published a cover story reporting that the U.S. economy was the envy of the world. But, sadly, the misinformation eclipsed the truth and misled many into voting for Trump.
Unscrupulous but effective strategies
Sinister strategies have been employed to reach American voters. Jared Kushner told donors that “the Trump campaign cut a deal with Sinclair [in which] Kushner would allow extensive coverage of Trump interviews…. In exchange, Sinclair would broadcast the Trump interviews across the country without commentary, noting that Sinclair, in states like Ohio, reaches 250,000 listeners when networks like CNN reach somewhere around 30,000.”
So Sinclair aired Trump interviews without any commentary or fact-checking. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Sinclair conducted zero interviews with Clinton but aired 15 exclusive interviews with Trump alone throughout its 193 stations and more than 100 markets, which makes it the second-largest television station operator in the US by number of stations, reaching 40 percent of Americans.
Increased coverage in acquired broadcasters
To help Sinclair achieve its dominance, Trump appointed Ajit Pai as head of the FCC who relaxed its limits on Sinclair’s ability to expand. At the expense of its local news and number of viewers, Sinclair increased its coverage of national over local politics by 25%, and launched its acquired outlets into ultra-conservative reporting. Sinclair TV anchors recited the Trump-like rant of bashing the media for “fake news.”
So Sinclair’s motivation likely is spreading right wing ideology instead of increasing viewership and revenue. And there’s no evidence that Sinclair was responding to more demand for national news.
FCC
According to a senior attorney at Georgetown’s Communications and Technology Law Clinic, “The most important force shaping public opinion continues to be local, over-the-air television [like Sinclair]. That’s the underlying premise of the FCC” to regulate broadcast ownership.”
The FCC prohibits broadcasters licensed to use the airwaves from intentionally distorting the news. But cable news networks and social media, like Fox, don’t use the air waves, so they are outside of the FCC’s jurisdiction. Unlike broadcasters, they need not provide reasonable or equal access to candidates throughout their campaigns.
Sinclair however, which is subject to the FCC’s news, is likely violating the FCC’s distortion rule which prohibits a broadcast news station from intentionally “rigging or slanting the news as a most heinous act against the public interest.”
A solution could be in the hands of local communities that grant franchises to cable companies. They could hold them more responsible for distorting the news. The Supreme Court has held that such regulations of broadcasters is allowed under the First Amendment.
Social media
In a case involving Twitter, the Supreme Court also protected social media companies from challenges under the Anti-Terrorism Act because they could not be shown to “aid and abet” terrorists by hosting their content.”
Sinclair and social media reach a multiple of the viewers reached by CNN, MSNBC and FOX news.
- Fox reaches 2.505m prime time viewers.
- MSNB reaches 1.430m primetime viewers. CNN reaches 180,000 primetime viewers.
- Social Media — 54% get there news often or “at least” sometimes from social media
- Sinclair — Number of primetime new viewers is unavailable, but Sinclair reaches 80m unique monthly visitors and 40 percent of Americans.
What can be done?
Remedial legislation is unlikely to evolve during a Trump presidency and while his obedient Republicans control either chamber of Congress. It could happen in the next administration, but only if voters focus on facts instead of falsehoods and only if Trump hasn’t obliterated the relevancy of the truth.
Fox news
Read What We’ll Learn About Fox Viewers from the 2024 Presidential Election to learn why they voted for Trump.
