DirecTV, owned by AT&T, decided on January 25 to discontinue carrying Newsmax, the fourth highest-ranking cable TV news channel. The reasons it offered—a conflict over fees—did not strike us as persuasive.
Bill Donohue has known Chris Ruddy, the Newsmax owner, for decades, and he was not about to disbelieve his account. Chris insisted that the decision to cut Newsmax was politically motivated.
The number of prominent persons who have rallied to Chris’ side, asking people to drop DirecTV, is considerable. Politicians, corporate leaders, TV personalities, sports figures, actors, lawyers, religious leaders—it’s a Who’s Who of American public figures.
The first person to come to bat for Chris was Bill Donohue. He was closely followed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. Tom Cotton, and President Donald Trump. “Bill Donohue: Catholics Should Drop DirecTV” was how Newsmax flagged his news release. Newsmax then issued its own statement, “Catholic League’s Donohue Calls on Faithful to Cancel DirecTV.”
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