Sinclair's new media-bashing promos rankle local anchors

"This is so manipulative." That's an anchor at a local TV station owned by Sinclair, describing the company's latest mandate, a promotional campaign that sounds like pro-Trump propaganda.

Internal documents call the new initiative an "anchor delivered journalistic responsibility message." But the staffers who shared the documents with CNN say the promos are inappropriate -- yet another corporate infringement on local journalism. "At my station, everyone was uncomfortable doing it," a local anchor said.  Other local anchors also said the promos were a source of dismay in their newsrooms. As scripted, the promos decry "fake stories" from national news outlets -- echoing President Donald Trump's inflammatory rhetoric about "fake news." The promos are supposed to start airing on local stations later in March. The instructions sent to station news directors say that the 60- and 75-second spots should run frequently "to create maximum reach and frequency."