Send this page to someone via email

Amy Schumer has scrapped a scheduled interview with a TV station in Washington, DC, due to the fact that the ABC affiliate is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the right-leaning media conglomerate that has come under fire for forcing the local news anchors at its stations to read a scripted on-camera message decrying so-called “fake news.”

John Oliver first called out Sinclair last year in an episode of his HBO series “Last Week Tonight”, revealing that the news operations of Sinclair-owned stations were obligated to air “must-run” segments in their local newscasts, including commentaries by former Trump campaign staffer Boris Epshteyn and a daily report from the “Terrorism Alert Desk.”

WATCH: Alec Baldwin singles out Stephen Colbert, John Oliver for turning talk shows onto ‘grand juries’

However, a video produced by Deadspin (which quickly went viral) demonstrated how far-reaching Sinclair’s efforts had become, with dozens of anchors from stations throughout the U.S. forced to read the same copy, word for word. As Oliver noted on a recent edition of “Last Week Tonight”, the anchors appeared to look like hostages reading a ransom message. “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 quipped.

Story continues below advertisement

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

Since then, Sinclair has been taking fire for tactics some are describing as “Orwellian,” and Schumer’s cancellation marks the first time a celebrity has pushed back at Sinclair by withdrawing participation.

According to BuzzFeed, Schumer was to have sat for an interview with Sinclair-owned WJLA during the press junket for her upcoming film “I Feel Pretty”. A spokesperson for Schumer confirmed to BuzzFeed that Schumer did indeed scrap the interview, while “a person familiar with the matter” says the comedian “hopes to not work with any Sinclair-owned TV station in the future.”

On Wednesday Sinclair political commentator Epshteyn addressed the controversy by refuting charges of Sinclair’s right-wing bias, offering some points that some will consider to be questionable.

You can watch his response below.

Story continues below advertisement