- One America News (OAN) ,the right-wing network that flourished during the Trump administration, did so with support from the world’s largest communications company: AT&T Inc.
- OAN founder and chief executive Robert Herring Sr has testified that the inspiration to launch OAN in 2013 came from AT&T executives: “They told us they wanted a conservative network…I jumped to it and built one.”
- Ninety percent of OAN’s revenue comes from a contract with AT&T-owned television platforms raking in tens of millions of dollars, court records show.
John Shiffman from Reuters Investigates writes:
“As it lauded former President Donald Trump and spread his unfounded claims of election fraud, One America News Network saw its viewership jump. Reuters has uncovered how America’s telecom giant nurtured the news channel now at the center of a bitter national divide over politics and truth.
First of two stories
One America News, the far-right network whose fortunes and viewership rose amid the triumph and tumult of the Trump administration, has flourished with support from a surprising source: AT&T Inc, the world’s largest communications company.
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.
OAN founder and chief executive Robert Herring Sr has testified that the inspiration to launch OAN in 2013 came from AT&T executives.
“They told us they wanted a conservative network,” Herring said during 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…”
See full story here.
Categories: Business, Government, Politics, Tech
Economic Left 
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