Sinclair Broadcast Group responds to criticism of 'Orwellian' scripted mantra shown across local TV news

'We aren’t sure of the motivation for the criticism, but find it curious'

The broadcasting group responsible for a message trotted across local news outlets across the US has defended the move, insisting the "promos served no political agenda".

Warning viewers to be mindful of "unsubstantiated stories that exist on social media", the message, delivered by news anchors, brought Donald Trump's "fake news" rhetoric to the minds of many, and the president himself defended the group on Twitter following initial reports.

"So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased," he wrote. "Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke [sic]."

Deadspin cut a compilation of the messages (above), focusing on the poignant line: "This is extremely dangerous to our democracy."

The statement in full from Sinclair Broadcast Group's SVP News Scott Livingston:

“We aren’t sure of the motivation for the criticism, but find it curious that we would be attacked for asking our news people to remind their audiences that unsubstantiated stories exist on social media, which result in an ill-informed public with potentially dangerous consequences. It is ironic that we would be attacked for messages promoting our journalistic initiative for fair and objective reporting, and for specifically asking the public to hold our newsrooms accountable. Our local stations keep our audiences’ trust by staying focused on fact-based reporting and clearly identifying commentary.”