John,

Have you ever heard of the Sinclair Broadcasting Group? Since the late ‘80s, Sinclair, owned by the ultra-conservative Smith family, has been buying up local news stations across the country. Today, they control an astonishing 190 stations in more than 100 markets.

As a way to cut costs and push a radical right-wing agenda, Sinclair provides right-wing content to these stations, including “must-run” segments that stations are required to air as a part of their news broadcasts. Through the years, those segments have included everything from propaganda supporting George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq to stories amplifying Donald Trump’s lies about the “deep state” and the so-called “plot” to undermine his presidency.

Sinclair’s rise is alarming because according to a 2024 Pew Research study, television is still the most common way voters get local news.

We’ll get into how this dangerous dynamic is playing out in the 2024 election in a moment, but if you’re ready to help COURIER fight back against right-wing propaganda from Sinclair, can you pitch in $20 now?

So what has Sinclair been up to in 2024?

In June, Sinclair upped its anti-Biden and pro-Trump conspiracies by partnering with the RNC and the Trump campaign to spread misinformation about Biden’s mental acuity as president.

They spread edited videos that made it look like Biden couldn’t speak, claimed Biden soiled himself at an event, and said he had to be “led back in” to a G7 summit meeting. When pressed about the blatant propaganda, Sinclair gaslit, claiming it was “outrageous and offensive” to suggest they had any bias.

Here’s the thing, John: Sinclair owns television stations that reach 40% of American households. And those households aren’t the only ones consuming right-wing misinformation – Fox News and other right-wing media stations repeat the same falsehoods to millions more across the country.

This is where COURIER can help. While Sinclair has been buying up local news outlets, COURIER is providing a freely available alternative in the form of local newsrooms in eleven battleground states around the country.

While Sinclair uses their newsrooms to inject their communities with propaganda, we use our presence to fight back against misinformation with factual news that actually matters.

But we can’t do it without your help. We don’t rely on paywalls or subscription models to provide our news, which means we need donations from supporters like you to keep fighting back against Sinclair. If you can, can you chip in $20 to help us out?

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Thank you,
The COURIER team