Would it surprise anyone that one of the main reporters, Kristian Brunovich Rouz, for One America News Network (OAN).the republican President trump’s new favorite channel, is a Russian national on the payroll of the Kremlin’s official propaganda outlet, Sputnik? There was a time that this would have been headline news, but now it’s just par for the course.
As per the July 22, 2019 Daily Beast report, “Trump’s New Favorite Channel Employs Kremlin-Paid Journalist” by Kevin Poulsen, “Kristian Rouz appears on segments for One America News Network—ironic given he is working for a Russian outlet fingered in the 2016 election attack.”
Here’s the rest of the story…
On June 15, 2019, David Smith of The Guardian penned the following report, “Trump has a new favourite news network- and it’s more rightwing than Fox”
Excerpts:
The US president has started giving plaudits – and access – to One America News Network, an obscure TV outlet that can outfox Fox
Donald Trump and Fox News are said to have one of the strongest marriages in political showbusiness. But there is a young rival hoping to outfox Fox and catch the US president’s wandering media eye.
“The obscure One America News Network (OAN) makes up for its lack of clout or viewers by covering every Trump utterance, recycling conspiracy theories, downplaying Russian threats, bashing the mainstream media and championing the “Make America Great Again” agenda.”
“Most Americans have not noticed, but the most powerful one has. The president rewards OAN with shout-outs and access wildly out of sync with its reach, leading some observers to suspect that he is playing OAN and Fox News off one another to ensure their undying affection.”
“It is a stark example of how Trump as media commentator cuts both ways: while deriding mainstream outlets as “enemies of the people”, he champions those that offer flattering coverage. Others, however, condemn OAN as a “Fox News wannabe” that is run on a shoestring with a team of underpaid and inexperienced staff.”
“An article on the Daily Beast website last month was headlined “The Hell of Working at Trump’s New Favorite Network”, based on interviews with four former OAN employees. One ex-video producer, Ernest Champell, said he was told on his first day at work, “Yeah, we like Russia here,” and recalled how the network spread conspiracy theories and ran “hit jobs” on politicians. He quit after four months.”
The ex-staff blamed editorial meddling by OAN’s founder, Robert Herring Sr, 77, a millionaire who made his fortune printing circuit boards. Based in San Diego, California, in 2004 he launched Wealth TV, a cable channel now called AWE (A Wealth of Entertainment) that offers shows such as Dream Cruises and Marijuana Miracle Cure. In 2013, on Independence Day, Herring added One America News.
“Or, to be more accurate, is that One America News Network? The URL for “OAN” had already been acquired and, though not in use, would cost $200,000 or more, whereas “OANN” was available for $15-20. Robert’s son Charles Herring, 53, president of Herring Broadcasting, admitted: “So we have a little branding issue, to tell you the truth. People that watch TV know us as OAN; Twitter followers know us as OANN.”
“The network struggled but jumped aboard the Trump train in the 2016 presidential election. It became the first channel to carry the celebrity billionaire businessman’s campaign speeches live and in full, a luxury not afforded to other candidate. This policy has continued during his presidency; not even Fox News broadcasts every speech uninterrupted.”
“We’re the only network that I know of that will carry the president’s speech in its entirety and, regardless of who’s the president,” Charles Herring said. “I really don’t care who the president is: left-leaning, right-leaning, you like him, you hate him, it just seems like that’s a function of the news.”
“He added: “For that reason we get accused of being a Trump supporter. There’s no doubt that we think some of the results that are coming from this president are simply remarkable and they’re just numbers: unemployment down to 3.2%. That’s a wonderful thing and you would think that we could all applaud that. Unfortunately that’s not the case.”
“Herring claims that OAN – which has about 150 staff including six in Washington – offers an antidote to other cable news networks’ emphasis on talking heads and heated argument.”
“CNN has abandoned straight news in favor of advocacy, he claims, but OAN faces the same charge. Its pundits have included the conservative firebrand Tomi Lahren and Trump’s former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski,and it has served up documentaries such as Betrayal at Benghazi: The Cost of Hillary Clinton’s Dereliction and Greed. Its two talkshows, Tipping Point with Liz Wheeler and The Daily Ledger with Graham Ledger, lean heavily right. When the White House revoked the CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s hard pass, Herring announced that OAN would join the court battle – on the administration’s side.”
“The approach has earned Trump’s patronage and given OAN an ability to punch above its weight. It claims to be the fourth-rated cable news network, trailing Fox News, MSNBC and CNN but ahead of CNN Headline News, Fox Business Channel, CNBC and BBC World News – though other networks dispute this. OAN says it has 35 million subscribers and its total viewers at any given time can range from about 150,000 to upwards of half a million.”
“OAN secured a seat in the White House briefing room and its journalists are regularly called upon to ask questions at press conferences. Herring said: “I’ve instructed our reporters they can ask any question; it should be a meaningful question on behalf of the viewers. It shouldn’t be to raise their profile or anything along that line and it must be asked in the most respectful manner. And if you do that, the president of the United States engages.”
“Last month Emerald Robinson, OAN’s chief White House correspondent, bagged an interview with the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and this week she was the first journalist called upon by Trump at his joint press conference with Polish president Andrzej Duda (Trump: “We’ll take a few questions. Emerald? OAN.” Robinson: “Thank you, Mr President.” Trump: “Thank you.”)
“Robinson was previously an actor – the Internet Movie Database lists her in the cast of the 2016 Jennifer Garner film Miracles from Heaven in the role of “Woman with Big Hair”. She tweeted on Wednesday: “President Trump got Mexico to make a deal by threatening them with tariffs. He did it all by himself, folks. The Democrats were against it. The Senate Republicans were against it. The media was against it. Big Business was against it. None of that mattered. All it took was Trump.”
Link to entire report: theguardian.com/ Trump has a new favourite news network – and it’s more rightwing than Fox …
Gronda Morin 
Hello and good morning Gronda. Another State TV propaganda channel to spew the cheers for the dear leader that the masses must be told to watch if they know what is good for them. I help an older couple who are big tRump supporters and have changed how they get TV and news three times because their priority is OAN. I have had to research which internet provider carries then and set it up on their TV. They believe the entire propaganda totally and they repeat it with an expectation everyone else should believe it also. Their big thing now is if you criticize tRump then you hate “America” and want to destroy the country. I have not been called by them since I corrected some of the incorrect “facts” they were touting. I guess I am not enough of a patriot for them despite my tours in the military. Hugs
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Dear Scottie,
Yous is not an unusual scenario. I have 2 friends who are Trump supporters. One has promised me that she’ll not vote for him in 2020 and for her, that’s a big deal. The other one won’t even go there as she’s well aware of my persuasive abilities and she doesn’t want to have her thinking challenged but we’re still friends.
Then there is a couple and I was very fond of the spouse but both were GOP hardliners. After the both of them looked at my blog for travel information but also read my political posts, she dropped me like a hot potato.
Most of these folks are FOX viewers. I was not even aware of OAN until I read the above report. These folks are clueless that they are listening to Russian propaganda.
Hugs, Gronda
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Gronda, whether compromised asset, collaborating with Russian indluence or unwitting participant, Trump is heavily influenced by what Vladimir Putin wantd long term. The CIA said to Congress, Trump at a minimum is an unwitting participant in Russian influence. But, what does Putin want?
– a divided America arguing with itself, its allies and trading partners.
– a weakened EU with Brexit
– a divisive populist movement in the EU where each country lessens cooperation. Did Russia take in Syrian or other refugees – no, they wanted rhem to flood Europe.
Putin is smiling at the division he has helped sow, using social media. When Trump argues how hard he has been on Russia, it is Congress that has been hard on Russia.
The above story is not a surprise at all. It is easier to fool people than convince them they have been fooled. What borhers me is these populist movements are taking us down a path of autocracy which, to me, is the long term strategy to solve a demographic problem for far right politicians. This is the message of formet GOP strategist Steve Schmidt. Keith
All of the above
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Dear Keith,
I concur with your words, “What bothers me is these (Trump) populist movements are taking us down a path of autocracy which, to me, is the long term strategy to solve a demographic problem for far right politicians. This is the message of former GOP strategist Steve Schmidt.”
It does not shock me that President Trump’s favorite TV News channel would be one that shares Russian propaganda. This is not at all normal.
Hugs, Gronda
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Gronda, what is lost on people (even Trump) who watch the spoon fed news they want to hear, at various points they cannot hide the truth. When Senator Graham formed the Roosevelt Conservation Caucus and said two weeks ago that the president needs to say climate change is real, it probably startled some people. Graham said he is tired of playing defense on the environment. This message needs to get out as I am quite certain Fox is not airing this story or the one where so many global leaders are condemning Trump’s racist remarks. Keith
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