Recently, I watched an evening news presentation on Channel 13, our local station. I was shocked to hear your anchors recite Sinclair Broadcasting company’s ironic dogma on warning people of fake news through media outlets as “extremely dangerous to our democracy.” 

It’s clear that this is an attempt to change the landscape of the media, your broadcast station included. Now you are associated with fake news with a clear agenda. Now you are acting like hostage takers mandating to their victims (employees) to recite a company mantra. This self-projected view is fundamentally disingenuous.

Sadly, your viewers can and will see through this manipulative strategy forged within corporate headquarters. Even though you have a market monopoly in Western North Carolina, other broadcasting stations in the area will surface as genuine news channels which truly have a reputation for sourcing their news and identifying the violators. Your organization will undoubtedly be linked to one of those media outlets with low standards for reporting fact-based, unbiased information.

Instead of pandering to an obvious politically-driven mandate from your parent company, joining a virtual choir of sister agencies synchronized in forecasting big brother voice, why not just report the news?

Jon Jicha

Waynesville