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Beware undisclosed influence on local news

This situation brings to mind Big Brother in George Orwell’s 1984 telling citizens what to think. We should fear the evolutionary hatching of either a conservative or a progressive Big Brother determined to control the news we receive.

Many readers are aware that KECI-TV recently was purchased by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, a Maryland-based firm that is the nation’s largest owner of television stations. Most of Sinclair’s more than 170 stations are located in small- and medium-sized cities such as Missoula. However, in May Sinclair announced that it would acquire the Tribune Media Company. This would add 42 television stations to Sinclair’s network, including ones in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

What many individuals may not know is that Boris Epshtyn, who briefly worked in President Trump’s White House, is the chief political analyst for Sinclair. According to Business Week magazine (July 24), "three times a week he records brief video commentaries that are sent to Sinclair’s 65 or so newsrooms around the country. Station managers are required to weave them into their otherwise locally produced news shows — part of a larger daily slate of clips known internally as ‘must-runs.’"

JAMES V. KOCH was president of the University of Montana from 1986-1990. His book, "The Caterpillar Way," made the New York Times’ top 10 business best-seller list in 2014. He lives in Missoula.

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/opinion/columnists/beware-undisclosed-influence-on-local-news/article_4368d935-424c-5e2a-b173-6550a5c8b267.html

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