Sinclair’s takeover of local television threatens democracy, and must be stopped.

Imagine living in a town where you turn on your local station to see the news anchor reading a scripted segment criticizing other news outlets as “fake news.” Now imagine living in another town where your local news anchor reads from the same scripted segment. This is exactly what happened a few months ago when Sinclair Broadcasting, the largest television broadcasting company in the country, forced its local anchors across 66 stations to read from the same script attacking other news organizations.

Sinclair’s business model is based on airing “must-run” segments – news and commentary produced or written at Sinclair’s headquarters. Typical must-run segments include political commentary from former Trump staffer Boris Epshteyn, and an Islamophobic “Terrorism AlertDesk.” These must-run segments not only eliminate local news but disguise Sinclair’s opinions with the voice of trusted local broadcasters.

Sinclair’s dangerous and undemocratic business model comes at a time when local broadcasting remains a critical source of news and programming for many communities. Approximately 37percent of Americans rely on broadcast television as a primary resource for news. Sinclair understands the power and influence local news has in shaping the views of our communities. Last year, Sinclair agreed to merge with Tribune Media Company. If the merger is approved by the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice, Sinclair’s ownership would jump from 173 stations to over 200. Sinclair would have the ability to air its propaganda and shape the views of communities across 72 percent of households nationwide.

Public interest groups like Common Cause have pointed to Sinclair’s use of must-run segments as contrary to the FCC’s goal of promoting viewpoint diversity. Independent programmers, including conservative outlets like Newsmax, have argued Sinclair’s merger would crowd out market space for independent voices. The deal would also give Sinclair increased bargaining power in licensing negotiations, forcing consumers to pay higher prices.

Sinclair has attempted to get around current ownership rules by entering into sham divestitures. In 2004, Congress set the national ownership cap at 39 percent, meaning no single broadcaster is allowed access to more than 39 percent of American households. As currently structured, Sinclair’s transaction is well beyond the limit. Rather than sell off stations to comply, Sinclair’s divestitures include shared programming arrangements and advertising agreements.

Over the last few weeks, hundreds of thousands of Americans filed comments urging the FCC to block the merger. The grassroots pressure is working; in July, the FCC adopted an order designating Sinclair’s merger for an administrative hearing. An administrative hearing is typically seen as a fatal blow to mergers. Whether the company is successful this time, their business model is a danger to democracy.

YOSEF GETACHEW is the Media and Democracy Program director at Common Cause, a nonpartisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.