Two anchors at Sinclair-owned station in Oregon refused to record news promos

Two news anchors at a station in Oregon owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group reportedly refused to read required promotional messages warning against “fake stories” in other media outlets.

KVAL morning news co-anchors Lauren Lapka and Cameron Walker in Eugene chose not to read the promotional statements decrying “fake news” and “media bias” that Sinclair told its employees to record, The Register-Guard reported.

Other reporters at the station did record the message, it added.

Lapka told the newspaper she learned in March she would be recording a promotional message, but said she “wasn’t comfortable” with it when she saw the script.

She added that she doesn’t believe in “hurting other journalists.”

“If we are talking about trusting journalists, my advice would be to get to know your local journalists as best as you can and make the decision for yourself,” Lapka said.

She added that her supervisors never threatened her job based on her decision not to read the statement, the newspaper reported.

Sinclair has been facing backlash over the past several days after a clip of local news anchors reading the same speech about media bias went viral.

The promos have since gained national attention and scrutiny.

Earlier this week, the producer of a morning show at a Sinclair-owned station in Nebraska resigned in protest of the network’s “obvious bias.”