OAN Producer Allegedly Fired For Speaking Out Against the Network's Reporting
On today's installment of far-right media outlet, One America News (OAN) continuing to exist as a shining beacon of journalistic perfection, the hyper-conservative network has allegedly fired producer Marty Golingan for speaking out against his employer's decision to frame baseless allegations of fraud as fact in their coverage of the 2020 election. In a recent New York Times article detailing the network's seemingly unwavering allegiance to former President Donald Trump as the GOP remains divided on the controversial leader and the best path forward for the party, Golingan spoke candidly about the media company's humble beginnings and its evolution into a dangerous, far-right echo-chamber, detested by critics and John Oliver alike.
Beginning as a start-up-like operation where Golingan says “he could produce cheeky feature stories,” OAN initially “concentrated more on neutral coverage based on reports from The Associated Press or Reuters,” the newspaper noted of the station's original iteration. During Trump's tenure in office, the channel began veering further and further to the right, leading to the almost comedically hyperbolic, conspiracy-touting, version of OAN we've come to know all too well.
Amid this shift, several staffers reportedly began to grow uncomfortable regarding the content appearing on air. “The majority of people did not believe the voter fraud claims being run on the air,” Golingan explained to the publication, referencing his colleagues' reaction to the station's reporting on the 2020 election, which included touting unfounded allegations of voter fraud and a rigged election.
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These phony on-air claims were only the beginning – Golingan's discomfort with the network's increasingly wild assertions further intensified during the Capitol insurrection on January 6, in which one of the insurgents carried a flag featuring the news outlet's logo. “I was like, OK, that’s not good,” Golingan recalled, in what may easily be the understatement of the century. “That’s what happens when people listen to us.” Despite this shocking sight, a revelation the former network producer said made him worry “that his work might have helped inspire the attack,” per the article, he instead persisted, staying onboard at a network that may have played a role in what the FBI Chief and several others have dubbed an act of “domestic terrorism."
Likely to Golingan's delight, OAN apparently did not take too kindly to being publicly taken to task by one of their personnel, allegedly firing him on Monday, the day following the story's digital publication, according to Rachel C. Abrams, a New York Times reporter and author of the aforementioned OAN write-up.
“I’ve given up my journalistic integrity already, and to be fired, that would make me feel good,” Golingan reportedly told Abrams. “I would wear it like a badge of honor.”
Although OAN has yet to directly address the controversy, the network seemingly retorted to the story in the most on-brand way imaginable -- slamming the newspaper in an article dissecting author Ashley Rindsberg's claim that the New York Times is “The Godfather Of Fake News.”
“In his new book, which has garnered praise across the political spectrum, Rindsberg outlined more than a century of false narratives created by The New York Times,” the article read. “He went on to say the publication needs to be held accountable for inaccurate reporting.”
"I know you are but what am I" – a comeback for the playground and professional media landscape!
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