Trump Defends Sinclair Broadcast Group After John Oliver Compares It to ‘Brainwashed Cult’

Trump Defends Sinclair Broadcast Group After John Oliver Compares It to 'Brainwashed Cult'

Trump calls media company "far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC" after HBO host tears into it for forcing reporters to "repeat the same message over and over again."

We all know Donald Trump watches "Fox & Friends," but he may also be tuning in to John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight," if Monday morning's tweet in support of Sinclair Broadcast Group is any indication. Oliver tore into the company on Sunday night.

Oliver was responding to a viral video that showed a slew of local newscasters reading the same exact story simultaneously, so it's possible Trump was responding to that or coverage of the story elsewhere, but he's criticized John Oliver's show before, calling it "very boring and low rated" back in 2015. Plus, the conservative-leaning Sinclair Media Group, which currently owns 170 local news stations nationwide, has been very supportive of Trump's platform.

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The president clearly appreciates that support, writing on Monday morning, "Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke." But while Trump was in support of Sinclair, many in Hollywood and beyond took to Twitter over the weekend to share that they were deeply disturbed by that video.

So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased. Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 2, 2018

Deadspin released their video over the weekend, which spotlighted local newscasters from across the country at Sinclair-owned affiliates reading the exact same story about "fake stories" and "false news," and it was a little eerie for Oliver.

"Nothing says, 'We value independent media,' like dozens of reporters forced to repeat the same message over and over again like members of a brainwashed cult," he said Sunday.

Oliver first spotlighted Sinclair in 2017 as the company was seeking FCC approval to acquire Tribune Media, which would give it coverage in more than 70 percent of the nation. He spoke then about "must-runs," which are stories that every Sinclair newscast must read on the story, as well as specialized pre-packaged programming.

The Deadspin viral story was one such "must-run," an anti-media piece warning that "national media outlets are publishing … fake stories without checking facts first," calling this practice "a danger to our democracy." But while Oliver saw the video as a warning to Sinclair's "reach and power," Trump is all about the "superior" Sinclair.

Check out the echo chamber in the Deadspin video below:

How America's largest local TV owner turned its news anchors into soldiers in Trump's war on the media: https://t.co/iLVtKRQycL pic.twitter.com/dMdSGellH3

— Deadspin (@Deadspin) March 31, 2018

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