AT&T has been a "crucial source of funds" for the far-right One America News Network, the pro-Trump channel that has spread false allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, according to a new report.
A Reuters investigation published Wednesday revealed that in 2019, One America News founder Robert Herring Sr. said in a deposition that the inspiration to launch the right-wing channel came from AT&T executives, who "told us they wanted a conservative network." Additionally, the report says that according to court records, AT&T has provided the network with tens of millions of dollars and that "ninety percent of OAN's revenue came from a contract with AT&T-owned television platforms," including DirecTV.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
An AT&T spokesperson said that the company "has never had a financial interest in OAN's success and does not 'fund' OAN" and that DirectTV "does not dictate or control programming on the channels." But the report describes how OAN has had a "lucrative relationship" with AT&T, per the court documents. Herring reportedly referenced a five-year deal with AT&T that totaled nearly $60 million, a figure an AT&T spokesperson denied to Reuters, and OAN even allegedly promised that it would a "cast a positive light" on AT&T during its newscasts. Read the full report at Reuters.
Update: This story has been updated to include a statement from AT&T.
-
'A symbol of the faceless corporate desire'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Say farewell to summer at these underrated US lakesThe Week Recommends Have one last blast
-
Truck drivers are questioning the Trump administration's English mandateTalking Points Some have praised the rules, others are concerned they could lead to profiling
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
