Ex-Sinclair news director compares media bias promos to ‘proof-of-life’ hostage videos

A former news director at a Sinclair Broadcast Group network compared the mandated media bias messages read by local anchors to a “proof-of-life hostage video.”

Aaron Weiss, a former news director of a network bought by Sinclair, said on CNN’s “New Day” that his “heart broke” for the local anchors who were forced to read the message.

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Weiss noted that he grew up in a local news environment and his mother had been a local news anchor for 30 years.

“I imagined if she had been forced to do something like that when I was a kid, and forced to make a decision about her ethics versus feeding her family and keeping her job in a business that she loved, I couldn’t imagine doing it,” Weiss said.

“And so my heart goes out to all of those anchors … it’s the equivalent of a proof-of-life hostage video,” he continued.

Sinclair mandated that local anchors at stations across the country read the script slamming “fake news” from other outlets. A supercut of the segments created by Deadspin went viral over the weekend, drawing criticism.

Sinclair has pushed back against the criticism, calling the promos a “well-researched journalistic initiative.”