NAACP president blasts AT&T after report linking company to One America News
Updated: Feb 10, 2022
THE HILL | October 11, 2021
BY DOMINICK MASTRANGELO - 10/06/21 02:51 PM EDT
The president of the NAACP issued a scathing statement castigating AT&T after a report was published this week linking the telecommunications giant to the rise of a far-right news network.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that 90 percent of One America News's (OAN) revenue in 2020 was the result of a contract with AT&T-owned television platforms, such as satellite broadcaster DirecTV, including one five-year deal between OAN and AT&T that was reportedly worth about $57 million.
"We are outraged to learn that AT&T has been funneling tens of millions of dollars into OAN since the network’s inception," NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon. "As a result, AT&T has caused irreparable damage to our democracy. The press should inform the American public with facts, not far-right propaganda and conspiracy theories."
OAN, a conservative news network, heaped repeated praise on former President Trump during his final months in the White House, has aired coverage critical of racial justice protests and gave credence to conspiracy theories about alleged voter fraud after the election. The network was sued earlier this year by Dominion Voting Systems for defamation based on statements made about the 2020 election.