Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Sinclair Broadcast Media update
If you remember, this group was a very notable segment on the series last year. This is a huge media conglomerate who owns a big chunk of local TV affiliates out there, and it uses most of the local news broadcasts in order to air some of its own content and segments … including some that lean very heavily conservative. Some of their practices were controversial then, and they are even more controversial now.
You can watch Oliver’s segment over at the link here, whether you need a refresher or you haven’t had a chance to see it just yet.
As for the update, this weekend it was revealed via, in part, a Deadspin report that many local-news anchors are required to read from a script with roughly the same messaging to their viewers. There are some stark political undertones to said message, and it makes you wonder more about how much of the press is truly free when anchors have no choice other than to read and report on what their bosses tell them to. Oliver’s segment lead into some of these revelations and you have to think that he could have something to say about it … and he certainly did tonight. He slammed Sinclair for some of their must-run segments and also just how many people were forced to read them.
Somehow, this update managed to be even more effective than the first one.
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Main segment: Courts
Let’s just say that things are not altogether efficient when it comes to the modern court system. This segment wasn’t flashy, but at the same time it was super effective when it comes to discussing some of the misnomers when it comes to immigration court. For example, the federal government does not have to provide you with a lawyer if you are not able to defend yourself.
The longer that this segment went on, ultimately the more horrifying it became. It is true that the vast majority of them are completely overwhelmed, but there has to be some sort of way in which to make things better for all parties. Take, for example, having children have to represent themselves, or hearings last just a matter of segments.
Tonight’s episode ended with a mock court show called “Tot Bench,” one where an adult had to convince toddlers that he was innocent … basically, this was equally effective to real court.
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