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One America News Network’s viewers are doubtless not followers of AT&T content material programming, which incorporates CNN, HLN, Bleacher Report, and HBO’s John Oliver. Ideologically, AT&T and OAN are enemies. Yet regardless of these variations, the 2 have discovered a partnership unearthed on Wednesday.
Reuters revealed in courtroom findings that OAN is sort of completely funded by AT&T:
“One America News, the far-right community whose fortunes and viewership rose amid the triumph and tumult of the Trump administration, has flourished with assist from a stunning supply: AT&T Inc, the world’s largest communications firm.
“A Reuters review of court records shows the role AT&T played in creating and funding OAN, a network that continues to spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The discovering provides that Robert Herring, OAN founder and chief govt, testified that the inspiration to launch OAN in 2013 got here from an AT&T govt. Some snappy New York Times author is ready for that govt’s identify, I assume.
“[AT&T] told us they wanted a conservative network,” Herring stated throughout a 2019 deposition seen by Reuters. “They only had one, which was Fox News, and they had seven others on the other [leftwing] side. When they said that, I jumped to it and built one.”
Since OAN’s launch, AT&T has supplied the community with tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in income, courtroom information present. Get this, 90% of OAN’s income got here from a contract with AT&T-owned tv platforms, together with satellite tv for pc broadcaster DirecTV. So do the maths.
“Herring has testified he was supplied $250 million for OAN in 2019. Without the DirecTV deal, the accountant stated underneath oath, the community’s worth ‘would be zero.’
An AT&T spokesman declined to touch upon the testimony, solely saying that DirecTV broadcasts “many news channels that offer viewpoints across the political spectrum.”
It’s revealing that AT&T would assist construct OAN privately, although publicly crush the community’s viewpoints. AT&T doesn’t need the media to understand it had involvement in OAN’s creation, whereas realizing the corporate has some degree of upside. It’s sensible enterprise.
For these nonetheless wrapping their heads across the report, to sum:
AT&T owns WarnerMedia, the dad or mum firm of CNN, and helped fund OAN. Meaning, Chris Cuomo, Don Lemon, and Jake Tapper are, at the least, work cousins with probably the most pro-Trump community on the air. That’s hilarious.
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