Sharyl Attkisson
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. announced on Apr. 22 that Emmy award-winning investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson, the reporter who broke the Fast and Furious story while working at CBS, will be hosting a new, national Sunday morning news program that will air on Sinclair’s ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX affiliates nationwide.
The 30-minute program, which will be based in Washington, DC, will be a blend of investigative and political journalism, with a focus on accountability. Attkisson will join Sinclair in June and her new show is expected to launch in the fall of 2015. Check your local listings for broadcast times around Labor Day.
“We are excited to have Sharyl on board as we launch this group-wide news program,” said Scott Livingston, vice president of news for Sinclair Television. “Our goal is to provide the context and perspective on major issues impacting our viewers. Sharyl has a proven track record of exposing the truth behind stories that other news organizations shy away from. I admire Sharyl’s determination and passion to seek the truth. Her unwavering commitment to exposing government waste, abuse and impropriety will be the foundation of our news program.”
“Americans are thirsty for reporting that holds powers-that-be accountable, whether they are politicians, corporations or other special interests,” commented Attkisson. “I am excited about the opportunity to report on untouchable subjects in a way that can reach even more viewers than my stories touched in the past.”
Attkisson left CBS News last year after more than two decades with the network, citing frustrations with what she saw as the network’s liberal bias, an outsize influence by the network’s corporate partners and a lack of dedication to investigative reporting. Sources at the network said Attkisson’s coverage of the Obama administration had become agenda-driven and led network executives to doubt the impartiality of her reporting.
In January, Attkisson sued the US Department of Justice for illegal surveillance, alleging that the Obama administration hacked her computers while she was reporting on the Benghazi attacks, Fast and Furious and Obamacare. The Justice Department has denied the charges.
She recently authored the New York Times bestseller, Stonewalled, which addresses the unseen influences of corporations and special interests on the information and images the public receives every day.
Attkisson is a recipient of five Emmy Awards, seven Emmy nominations and an Edward R. Murrow Award for investigative journalism. She received Emmy recognition for her reports on Fast and Furious, Benghazi, green energy waste, Red Cross waste and abuse, Congressional oversight, Ford and Firestone tire rollovers, aid to Haiti, and dangerous prescription medicine.
Politico.com noted that Sinclair has been dubbed a “mini-Fox News,” with a tendency to run packages and commentary with conservative leanings.
