Last week, Reuters reported that AT&T backed the creation and funding of One America News, a far right-wing network that spreads conspiracy theories regarding various topics such as the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 election.
AT&T is reportedly financing OAN to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. Furthermore, once the network launched, AT&T carried OAN on U-verse, then on DirecTV.
The report also states that OAN founder and chief executive Robert Herring Sr. claimed that AT&T executives were the ones who advised him to create the network.
Herring says in a 2019 deposition that AT&T wanted a conservative network. “They only had one, which was Fox News, and they had seven others on the other [left-wing] side. When they said that, I jumped to it and built one.”
During his opening segment, “Last Week Tonight,” host John Oliver went after the telecommunications giant.
“While we are still technically related, let me say this. You’re a terrible company. You do bad things, and you make the world worse,” Oliver said.
“Please don’t bother keeping in touch once the merger is complete. Although that really shouldn’t be a problem for you: You’re AT&T. It isn’t like your messages go through anyway.”
AT&T announced in May a deal to spin-off HBO parent WarnerMedia and merge it with Discovery, so Oliver is taking his shots at his “Business Daddy” as he exits.
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
