2 Indianapolis TV stations could soon be owned by controversial Sinclair Broadcast

Over the weekend, a supercut video from Deadspin showing dozens of anchors at TV news stations owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group went viral. In it, the anchors from across the country read the same prepared statement claiming the media has an agenda to control what people think.

Some viewers expressed surprise at how the massive company, which owns 193 stations nationwide, could force anchors to read such a statement on-air. Others were left wondering if their station of choice was caught up in the controversy.

Locally, both Fox59 and CBS4 could become Sinclair properties if a $3.9 billion deal announced last spring for Sinclair to purchase Tribune Media goes through. Tribune is the parent company of Fox59 and CBS4.

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But that sale is still pending, and the stations remain under the direction of Tribune. That means local anchors were not included in the viral video and did not read the anti-fake news statement.

Tribune officials contacted Monday referred all questions about the status of the sale and the statement to Sinclair. IndyStar has also reached out to Fox59 and CBS4 leadership for comment.

If you haven't yet seen the video from Deadspin Video Director Timothy Burke of the anchors reading the statement, Check it out:

News of the statement, and the fact that anchors were being required to read it, broke in early March when staffers at Sinclair-owned stations shared information with CNN.

Some local anchors, operating with anonymity, also told CNN that the promos were inappropriate and that reading the statement made them uncomfortable.

In a statement sent to IndyStar Monday, Sinclair said the promos served no political agenda.

“We aren’t sure of the motivation for the criticism," Scott Livingston, senior vice president of new for Sinclair, said in the statement, "but find it curious that we would be attacked for asking our news people to remind their audiences that unsubstantiated stories exist on social media, which result in an ill-informed public with potentially dangerous consequences. It is ironic that we would be attacked for messages promoting our journalistic initiative for fair and objective reporting, and for specifically asking the public to hold our newsrooms accountable."

CNN reports that it obtained an internal memo, also from Livingston, sent to the company's newsrooms in response to the video.

In the memo, Livingston acknowledges that the stations are now in the spotlight after launching what he called Sinclair's "corporate news journalistic responsibility promotional campaign."

"There is a lot of noise out there about our company right now, and what is lacking in that analysis is something we constantly preach; context and perspective," he writes.

He goes on to say that the statement references fake stories like "Pope Endorses Trump" and "Pizzagate," which spread quickly and leave the public misinformed. He adds that critics of the company have failed to mentioned the awards won by journalist at Sinclair stations, as well as their audience growth.

"Local news is at the heart of Sinclair. Our agenda is to serve our communities by sharing relevant information to alert, protect and empower our audiences," he writes.

President Donald Trump stood in support of Sinclair. On Monday morning, he tweeted that it was funny to see "fake news networks" criticize Sinclair.

The acquisition of Tribune, announced in May 2017, would increase Sinclair's number of TV stations from 193 to 220 or more — and its reach of U.S. homes to 72 percent.

Critics of the merger say this national scripted promotion offers a hint at how an even-larger Sinclair could spread conservative-leaning messages across the largest-ever collection of local media outlets.

Here is a full transcript of the portion of the statement used in the video:

Our greatest responsibility is to serve our ... communities. We are extremely proud of the quality, balanced journalism that (station name) produces. But we are concerned about the troubling trend of irresponsible, one-sided news stories plaguing our country.

The sharing of biased and false news has become all too common on social media. More alarming, some media outlets publish these same fake stories without checking facts first.

Unfortunately, some members of the media use their platforms to push their own personal bias and agenda to control ‘exactly what people think and this is extremely dangerous to a democracy.

CNN reports that the statement goes on to say, "we understand truth is neither politically 'left or right.' Our commitment to factual reporting is the foundation of our credibility, now more than ever." Anchors then urge viewers to provide feedback.

The USA Today contributed to this story. Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.