Posted: Jan. 22, 2022
One America "News" (OAN), Newsmax, and Real America's Voice aren't legitimate news networks. They're dishonest, authoritarian organizations that prop up Christian nationalism and undermine democracy while only masquerading as journalism.
When it comes to enabling conspiracy theories and undermining truth, Fox News doesn't hold a candle to these channels. The three have been central to the ongoing spread of harmful right-wing disinformation, from deadly anti-vaccine paranoia to Donald Trump's Big Lie about the 2020 election. OAN even regularly applauds the insurrectionists of January 6, 2021, and has repeatedly spread Vladimir Putin's Russian propaganda.
The three channels have also become important platforms for the religious right, frequently hosting pastors like Greg Locke, the Tennessee evangelical who praises the Proud Boys, burns books, was in D.C. for January 6, and tours the nation with Michael Flynn and Roger Stone; and Senate candidate Jackson Lahmeyer, the Oklahoma Christian nationalist who gives away religious-exemption forms in exchange for campaign cash and also tours with Flynn and Stone.
The most insidious thing about these networks is that, thanks to the Roku Channel and the Paramount-owned service Pluto TV, they're available for free to anyone with an Internet connection and a desire for live news. That gives them an even wider potential reach than CNN or C-SPAN.
Thankfully, DirecTV dropped OAN in March, and Verizon followed suit on July 21. Let's gather 10,000 20,000 25,000 signatures from Christians who oppose Christian nationalism, and call on Roku and Pluto TV to also put the common good ahead of profit and anti-democracy lies!
(Our friends at Faith in Public Life are also gathering signatures for this campaign. We thank them for co-sponsoring.)
Sign the petition:
Love thy neighbor.