The conservative Sinclair Broadcast Group had its news anchors around the country read an ad for the network. The ad read: “The sharing of biased and false news has become all too common on social media. Some members of the media use their platforms to push their own personal bias. This is extremely dangerous to our democracy.” It then went on to say, basically, we strive to be better than the other guys but if we mess up, let us know. Which is what ads for news say. It was kind of like CNN’s “This is an apple” ad, only literate and true.

An internet wag made a supercut of all the anchors reading it, so it looked like some sort of propaganda campaign. Or like an ad. Which is what it was.

Here is a sample of reactions from the fever pits of CNN and MSNBC: “Orwellian!” “Dangerous!” “State run media for an autocrat.” “Embarrassing.” “An assault on the democratic … norms that helped us build a country that … conquered the communistic one in the most existential struggle in human history.” And, of course, the whole thing was put at the door of Donald Trump, who had nothing to do with it. Sinclair is privately owned.

Hysterical knuckleheads.