JUDY WOODRUFF:

And now for a different kind of media story, and a question: Does it matter who owns the TV station that delivers your local news?

Polls show that many Americans trust local news more than other sources. The largest owner of local stations in the country, Sinclair Broadcasting, planning a merger that would make them even bigger.

It is a move that is raising concerns because of Sinclair's policy of combining news with partisan political opinion.

William Brangham has that story.