You Probably Don’t Understand US Media Bias

Operation Mockingbird was an admitted shadowy, secretive campaign orchestrated during the Cold War to seize control over major media outlets and manipulate public perception on a massive scale. This covert operation covertly enlisted journalists, editors, and media executives to become instruments of propaganda, systematically planting narratives that aligned with powerful interests while suppressing dissenting or inconvenient facts. It wielded authoritarian influence over the flow of information, steering what billions of people saw, heard, and believed—effectively weaponizing the media as a tool of control.

Far from isolated, this operation exemplifies how entrenched power structures can orchestrate comprehensive information manipulation behind closed doors, crafting consent through secrecy and distortion. It stands as a stark warning that beneath the polished surface of democratic media, strings are pulled in shadows, bending truth to serve agendas that rarely serve the public interest. This operation revealed just how deeply media freedom can be compromised to consolidate power and shape political realities.

Major media outlets such as The New York Times, CBS, Time, and Life magazines were reportedly involved, with some journalists knowingly or unknowingly participating. This effort was part of a broader psychological warfare campaign aimed at promoting specific geopolitical goals.

The program’s existence was partially revealed during 1970s congressional investigations that exposed extensive ties between media figures and government operatives, including the practice of supplying journalists with pre-written stories and financially supporting front groups. Despite public backlash, no comprehensive legal measures were implemented to end such influence, and concerns about covert media manipulation remain today.

A recent widely circulated video starkly illustrates these concerns, showing multiple reporters across major mainstream networks delivering the exact same scripted line about “irresponsible one-sided news stories plaguing our country.” This unusual uniformity of message strikes critics as a clear sign of ongoing media conformity and centralized narrative control—echoing the covert tactics historically associated with Operation Mockingbird.

The undeniable evidence presented in this brief clip challenges many preconceived notions: how likely is it that anyone publicly condemning “irresponsible one-sided news stories” could simultaneously be part of the exact system they critique? The dismissal of such observations as mere “conspiracy theories” acts as a powerful shield, blinding much of the public to the reality that some conspiracies persist and grow precisely because they embed self-mocking and diversionary tactics—discrediting opposing theories and steering suspicion away from themselves.

If this strains your credulity, watch the video again and resist the urge to dismiss what is plainly in front of you.

Is the video real?

The video showing multiple news anchors across different mainstream networks delivering the exact same scripted line has indeed circulated widely and raised concerns about media uniformity. It is real footage capturing various outlets broadcasting a coordinated message. Such synchronization typically occurs when news organizations collaborate on shared messaging, often through “media coalitions” or “industry groups,” aimed at addressing common challenges like misinformation or declining public trust in the news.

This kind of joint statement is not unprecedented and represents an orchestrated effort among media entities to present a united front on particular issues. However, critics interpret this uniformity as symptomatic of deeper problems, such as centralized message control or scripted narratives reminiscent of covert media manipulation campaigns like Operation Mockingbird.

As noted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in an interview on the Lex Fridman Show two years ago—where the video has gained over 4.7 million views—there are claims that Operation Mockingbird’s tactics are still at play today, fueled by large financial incentives shaping media content. While direct evidence of a fully active program is scarce in the public domain, the continuation of state and corporate influence over media narratives remains a subject of vigorous debate.

Who Actually Wrote the Script for the Video?

The coordinated scripted lines recited by multiple news anchors, such as the phrase about “irresponsible one-sided news stories plaguing our country,” were authored and distributed by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest local TV station owner in the U.S. This company required nearly 200 local news anchors across their stations to read the same promotional script warning about “fake news” and bias in other media outlets. The script was centrally produced by Sinclair’s corporate communications or editorial team as part of a coordinated messaging effort to promote their ideological stance and critique competitors, often aligned with pro-Trump perspectives.

This practice was exposed in 2018, and media experts describe the script as corporate propaganda, with local journalists having little choice but to read it. Sinclair’s strategy reflects a top-down approach where a single entity controls uniform scripts delivered by many individual journalists across different markets, illustrating explicit centralized control over messaging within its network.

No individual author’s name is publicly credited; rather, it is a corporate-produced script distributed across Sinclair’s stations and imposed on local anchors, who recite it in their own voices but without editorial discretion. This case is the clearest documented example of coordinated scripting leading to synchronized messaging in U.S. news media.

Sinclair’s corporate leadership—such as Mark Hyman, a Sinclair executive with reported backgrounds in military and intelligence roles—has been noted for promoting politically charged, uniform messaging across many Sinclair-owned stations, echoing the centralized control over media narratives reminiscent of Mockingbird-style influence campaigns. However, these connections are mostly drawn from investigative critiques and opinions linking Sinclair’s practices to the legacy of covert media influence rather than officially documented continuations the original Operation Mockingbird.

What are Mark Hyman’s Political Views?

Mark Hyman holds conservative political views. He is known as an archconservative commentator who served as vice president for corporate relations at Sinclair Broadcast Group, a media company noted for its conservative slant. His commentary, often aired on Sinclair stations, criticized perceived liberal bias in the media and supported Republican positions, such as favoring George W. Bush during the 2004 presidential election and supporting the U.S.-led war in Iraq. His work was associated with promoting conservative perspectives and challenging mainstream media narratives from a right-leaning stance. Hyman’s commentaries, such as in the segment “The Point,” expressed this ideological perspective explicitly during his time with Sinclair.

Did President Obama Approve This Banned Practice in 2013?

The 2013 amendment to the Smith-Mundt Act, as included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), specifically modified the original prohibition on domestic dissemination of materials produced by U.S. government international broadcasting entities. The law states that government-funded broadcasters “may make available within the United States materials prepared for foreign audiences” upon request by U.S. entities or individuals, rather than actively disseminating or marketing such content domestically. Importantly, the statute retains the provision that content produced by these broadcasters “shall not be disseminated within the United States except as provided” under this availability clause. This means that while Americans can access programming from entities like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty if they seek it, these materials are not distributed by domestic private news organizations, nor are such organizations mandated or authorized to include government-produced programming as part of their regular content.

In reality, despite formal editorial independence, the pull and practical influence of government-driven media coalitions and broader centralized coordination remain strong. Recent policy reports—such as those highlighted by PEN America in relation to Project 2025—document efforts to steer federally funded media outlets toward specific political or governmental agendas, sometimes challenging traditional editorial firewalls designed to preserve journalistic independence.

What are the Current US Media Control Czar’s Political Leanings?

As of 2025, Sinclair Broadcast Group is led by President and CEO Christopher S. Ripley, who has been in the role since 2017. Ripley is primarily a media executive with a background in investment banking and media finance, focusing on corporate strategy, digital expansion, and revenue diversification. Sinclair as a company maintains its conservative editorial stance inherited from previous leadership eras but has no widely publicized singular “media control czar” figure with overt political views like former figures such as Mark Hyman. Current leadership emphasizes business growth amid ongoing scrutiny over political influence in its messaging, but remains focused on operational and financial management rather than explicit political commentary.

Sinclair Broadcast Group remains one of the largest local TV station owners in the U.S., operating approximately 193 television stations in over 100 markets, reaching about 40% of American households. While it is a major player in local broadcast media—second largest by number of stations after Nexstar—it no longer holds a dominant market share that singularly eclipses all other groups. For instance, Fox Corporation and Nexstar Media Group have significant, and in some measures larger, portions of the broadcast market.

Sinclair’s leadership currently emphasizes business growth, digital expansion, and navigating regulatory environments, rather than overt political commentary. The company’s market capitalization has decreased compared to previous years to around $1 billion in mid-2025, reflecting industry challenges and competition. Despite ongoing scrutiny of their political messaging, Sinclair still exerts substantial influence through coordinated content across many local stations, but this influence exists alongside other powerful media conglomerates, limiting Sinclair’s capacity to push narratives more than anyone else in the U.S.

Nexstar Media Group

Nexstar Media Group is led by Perry A. Sook, who is the founder, Chairman, and CEO, serving since 1996 with a tenure of nearly 30 years. Sook is primarily known as a seasoned media executive with extensive experience in television and radio broadcasting, focused on business growth and industry expansion. Publicly available information does not strongly emphasize explicit political commentary or a clear partisan political stance attributed to him personally. His leadership centers more on corporate strategy and media market growth than on overt political positioning.

Regarding Nexstar’s capacity to push narratives in a manner similar to Operation Mockingbird, as the largest local broadcast television operator in the U.S., owning over 200 stations that reach more than 220 million people, Nexstar has significant influence in shaping local and national media narratives. It also owns NewsNation, a national cable news network. This scale and consolidation allow the company to coordinate messaging and potentially exercise substantial centralized editorial control, which critics argue can resemble narrative shaping or influence practices like those associated historically with Operation Mockingbird. However, unlike covert government operations, Nexstar is a private media conglomerate operating within commercial and regulatory frameworks and not publicly documented as engaging in covert propaganda directed by a government agency.

Do Nexstar and Sinclair Coordinate on Mass Messaging?

Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group do have business partnerships and agreements, but these mainly involve distribution deals rather than editorial coordination. For example, in 2025, Sinclair renewed and expanded distribution agreements with Nexstar to carry Sinclair’s multicast networks (like Comet, Charge!, TBD, and The Nest) on Nexstar-owned TV stations, reaching over 15 million U.S. households across key markets. However, there is no public evidence or credible reporting that Nexstar and Sinclair coordinate their news or editorial content messaging in a centralized way akin to mass narrative control or Operation Mockingbird-style influence. They are separate media conglomerates with their own management and editorial policies, and collaborations appear to focus on business distribution partnerships—not synchronized news scripting or joint messaging campaigns.

Perry A. Sook (Nexstar Media Group) and Christopher S. Ripley (Sinclair Broadcast Group) do indeed in 2025 have vast power to shape media narratives due to their control over large numbers of local TV stations and audiences in the U.S. However, there is no direct public evidence showing that they deliberately use this power to push coordinated political or ideological narratives on a scale akin to historical covert operations like Operation Mockingbird.

No Links to Palantir at This Time

There is no credible public evidence or authoritative source indicating that Nexstar Media Group or Sinclair Broadcast Group use Palantir Technologies’ software or data analytics platforms for media narrative control or messaging purposes. Palantir’s known clients are primarily government agencies, defense, intelligence entities, and some large commercial sectors, but there is no indication that either Nexstar or Sinclair deploy Palantir tools in their broadcast or editorial operations. Available information shows Nexstar uses Salesforce Media Cloud for ad sales management, but no ties to Palantir have been reported. Thus, the statement that they do not employ Palantir technology for narrative control is factually supported by the current public record in 2025.

No Evidence of AI News Generation at This Time

There is no public evidence that Sinclair Broadcast Group uses AI for news story generation or news lead creation as of 2025. Regarding Nexstar Media Group, they have notably adopted AI technology for advertising sales operations but not explicitly for generating news leads or editorial content.

Nexstar has partnered with Salesforce to use AI tools like Salesforce Media Cloud and Agentforce, which primarily automate and optimize advertising sales tasks such as proposal creation, campaign forecasting, and ad placement optimization. These AI agents help improve efficiency by handling repetitive tasks and analyzing patterns in ad targeting and campaign management. However, Nexstar’s use of AI is focused on marketing and sales automation rather than AI-driven generation of news content or leads for newsgathering. Nexstar’s 2025 practice, led by CTO Brett Jenkins, emphasizing AI as a force multiplier for sales operations while preserving human editorial judgment.

AI News Influence Via Advertising Insights

The reality is, advertising dollars have long influenced editorial content, creating a persistent tension in mass media since its earliest days. Advertisers often exert pressure on media outlets to shape or soften editorial coverage in ways favorable to their interests, sometimes leading to blurred lines between independent journalism and commercial influence.

Given that, think critically about this statement: “AI currently acts primarily as a force multiplier for sales operations in major media companies, automating advertising tasks while striving to preserve human editorial judgment.”

Is news content in the US dictated partly by AI influence over the two mass media conglomerates?

News content in the U.S. is not currently dictated by AI influence over major media conglomerates like Nexstar and Sinclair; rather, AI is primarily used to “automate advertising sales processes, while editorial content and news judgment remain human-driven.” However, AI’s growing role in news production and distribution raises ongoing concerns about accuracy, bias, and misinformation in the broader media ecosystem.

Think about that supposed firewall, between human-driven news content and AI advertising sales processes. What actually stops a story from being changed slightly to make more money?

What actually stops a story from being changed slightly to make more money between editorial and AI-driven sales automation is primarily internal editorial controls, professional journalistic ethics, and company policies designed to maintain a firewall between news content and commercial interests. However, research and industry analysis show this firewall can be porous in practice due to economic pressures.

For example, large broadcast groups like Sinclair and Nexstar have increased advertising time during newscasts after acquisitions, making more revenue from ads, sometimes at the expense of local news content depth or neutrality. Studies indicate that Sinclair tends to standardize messaging with a conservative slant, potentially influenced by corporate objectives, while Nexstar expands local coverage and aims for political neutrality but also increases ad loads. These dynamics suggest economic motivations can “subtly” (cough cough) influence editorial decisions, even if direct AI-driven content changes are absent.

Will Anything Change? Unlikely.

Regardless of Operation Mockingbird’s precise current status, meaningful reform to counter ongoing media manipulation and concentrated influence appears unlikely in the near future. Political and regulatory trends increasingly reflect polarization and attempts to control or weaponize information rather than expand independent journalism or transparency.

At this point, even openly revealing the puppet strings behind the scenes may not alter public apathy. Studies on media manipulation and public perception—from groups like Data & Society and the Oxford Internet Institute—show that while people understand misinformation, coordinated messaging, and disinformation are widespread, many feel overwhelmed or powerless. This resignation fosters disengagement, allowing manipulation tactics (such as bots, false narratives, and algorithmic echo chambers) to persist with little effective resistance.

Summary

Operation Mockingbird stands as a historically documented example of covert government interference in press freedom, illustrating how powerful interests can manipulate media narratives through secretive campaigns. Modern instances of synchronized messaging across major news outlets—whether through coordinated industry statements, shared news agency feeds, or broader media coalitions—echo these enduring concerns about centralized and concentrated influence over information.

While laws like the 2013 Smith-Mundt amendment increased public access to government-produced international broadcasts, they explicitly maintain limits on domestic propaganda and do not authorize government scripting of private media content. Nevertheless, practical pressures and alliances between government-affiliated entities and media organizations continue to challenge true editorial independence.

Public awareness of these dynamics is vital. Still, research shows widespread resignation and disengagement amid vast misinformation, coordinated messaging, and algorithm-driven echo chambers, allowing manipulation tactics to persist with limited effective resistance. Critical evaluation of news thus requires understanding both historical precedents and contemporary realities shaping public opinion and media control.

Accept that your friends, coworkers and relatives are consuming propaganda and outright lies, perhaps even as you are reading this. Even for stories that seem obviously true, you can occassionally take some time to analyze information that reaches you by asking who created it, why it was created, what evidence supports it, what perspectives or interests might shape it, and how it compares to other credible information.

Always question what is credible and why.

You probably don’t understand U.S. media bias because it often operates through subtle, coordinated messaging shaped by complex political, economic, and institutional influences that go beyond obvious partisan divides.

Sources:

PEN America, Project 2025 report, 2024
Journalism Funders Forum, Media Freedom 2025
Amnesty International, Global Press Freedom 2025
WAN-IFRA, U.S. Policy Landscape for News Media Industry, 2025

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