JOURNAL ARTICLE

The Good, the Bad, and the Not-So-Terrible: A Comprehensive Analysis of Sinclair's Effect on Local Television News Quality.

  • Published In: Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 2026, v. 103, n. 2. P. 542 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Abdenour, Jesse; Denneny, Megan; Maduneme, Emmanuel; Miller, Kaitlin C.; Hedding, Kylah J.; Blankenship, Justin C. 3 of 3

Abstract

This article systematically examines the quality of local television news produced by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the second-largest U.S. TV ownership group, using a human-coded video content analysis of 2,363 stories across 40 markets. Findings indicate that Sinclair-owned stations produce fewer local news stories and less local content overall compared to non-Sinclair stations, with a greater reliance on official, expert, and organizational sources rather than citizen voices, suggesting lower resource investment in news quality. However, Sinclair stations featured reporters on-air more frequently and showed similar topic diversity and political sourcing to competitors, with minimal evidence of partisan bias in local news coverage. These mixed results highlight the complex influence of corporate ownership on local TV journalism and underscore the need for further research into how ownership shapes news quality and democratic information access.

Additional Information

  • Source:Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. 2026/06, Vol. 103, Issue 2, p542
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Communication and Mass Media
  • Publication Date:2026
  • ISSN:1077-6990
  • DOI:10.1177/10776990261424267
  • Accession Number:193622885
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