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How America's largest local TV owner turned its news anchors into soldiers in Trump's war on the media: https://t.co/iLVtKRQycLpic.twitter.com/dMdSGellH3
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) March 31, 2018

It's being slammed on Twitter as a "hostage" video.
Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which owns more than 170 U.S. TV stations, has ordered local news anchors across the country to read a script decrying "some media outlets" for "false news" and "fake stories".
"This is extremely dangerous to a democracy," the script reads.
Deadspin created a supercut of anchors reading the script and ThinkProgress shared a similar clip that showed newscasters reciting the identical lines:

"I felt like a POW recording a message," one anchor at a Sinclair-owned station told CNN last month.
"They're certainly not happy about it," an unnamed employee at Sinclair-owned KOMO in Seattle told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer last week. "It's certainly a forced thing."
Sinclair is also requiring its stations to run segments from Boris Epshteyn, a former advisor to U.S. president Donald Trump who often speaks in support of the White House, the newspaper reported.
Sinclair has been accused of being too close to Trump in other ways as well.
In 2016, Jared Kusher, president's son-in-law and adviser, said the campaign had struck a deal with Sinclair to give the network more access in exchange for running interviews with Trump without commentary, Politico reported.
Sinclair denied anything improper occurred.
"It was a standard package, but an extended package, extended story where you'd hear more directly from candidate on the issue instead of hearing all the spin and all the rhetoric," Sinclair spokesman Scott Livingston told Politico at the time.
Sinclair is currently in the process of purchasing Tribune media, a deal that would give it access to 42 more stations. Once complete, Sinclair will reach 72 percent of U.S. households.
Last year, "Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver warned of the implications of the purchase, and spoke out against Sinclair's tendency to push "must-run" content on its stations.
On Twitter, critics slammed the company over the script local anchors were forced to record:

I worked for Sinclair during most of my time in El Paso. They were awful & I would never work for them again. What they're doing now is ridiculous propaganda and it's an embarrassment to the profession. I feel for my former colleagues being forced to read this garbage. https://t.co/hnqIU2EfW7
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) March 31, 2018

Back when I anchored, the worst thing I'd have to read was usually just a poorly written package intro I hadn't had time to put in my own words. But this Sinclair crap is so, so, so much worse. Almost like a hostage video. Scary and disgraceful.
— David Gillin (@DavidDGillin) April 1, 2018

"This is dangerous for our democracy" pic.twitter.com/bor21D8J4z
— Meghan Eck (@MeghanEck) April 1, 2018

I wrote to the local Sinclair station. I asked them to wink 2x during the next announcement, if they're being held hostage by corporate management. I also asked for clarification on what fake news they're complaining about.
— Winnie_McQ (@Winnie_McQ) April 1, 2018

These Sinclair anchors should revive the "Hawaiian Good Luck Sign" indicating they are involuntarily appearing in hostage videos.https://t.co/PXqRkiXwFI
— Ken Cox 🍁 (@KenCox) April 1, 2018

"Paging Mr. Orwell, Mr George Orwell"
— Alex Skolnick (@AlexSkolnick) April 1, 2018

This clip of Sinclair TV stations mass-hypnotizing Americans is the scariest horror movie since Get Out. https://t.co/hjrTtez3fM
— Matt Pearce 🦅 (@mattdpearce) April 1, 2018

We love the leader. We love the leader. We love the leader. We love the leader. We love the leader. We love the leader. 🤮🤮🤮 pic.twitter.com/TsVl1t2u3a
— Doug Durbin (@BeantownDoug) April 1, 2018

This sounds much better in the original Russian.
— Adam Thompson (@AdamThompson48) April 2, 2018

1984, They Live, and Idiocracy are mild compared to our current non fiction reality
— Robert ryan (@robertryan323) April 1, 2018