On March 7, CNN’s Brian Stelter reported that Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner and/or operator of 193 television stations in the country, would be forcing its anchors to record a promotional message about “the troubling trend of irresponsible, one sided news stories plaguing our country.” Selter and Deadspin both see the message as support for President Donald Trump’s ongoing attack on “fake news.” 

In what seems like a Saturday Night Live parody, Timothy Burke of Deadspin pieced together the footage of various broadcasts from Seattle to Washington D.C.—all Sinclair affiliates—of news anchors reciting the same copy. 

“The sharing of biased and false news has become all too common on social media. More alarming, some media outlets publish these same fake stories,” the anchors say in unison. “This is extremely dangerous to our democracy.”

The video spread quickly on social media over the weekend, leading to heavy criticism of Sinclair. Democrat Rep. Tony Cárdenas of California resurfaced a letter, signed by 38 lawmakers and dated March 22, that called for the rejection of the Tribune merger that would dramatically expand Sinclair’s reach to 72 percent of American households.

President Trump responded to the scrutiny of the media company by defending them in a tweet. 

“So funny to watch Fake News Networks, among the most dishonest groups of people I have ever dealt with, criticize Sinclair Broadcasting for being biased,” he wrote. “Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.”

Scott Livingston, senior vice president of the Hunt Valley-based media company, said the purpose of the message was to echo Sinclair’s mission and “commitment to reporting facts.”

“The stories we are referencing in this promo are the unsubstantiated ones (i.e. fake/false) like ‘Pope Endorses Trump,’ which move quickly across social media and result in an ill-informed public,” he told The Sun in an email statement. “We are focused on fact-based reporting. We consider it our honor and privilege to deliver the news each night. We seek the truth and strive to be fair.”

Although it is the country’s largest broadcaster, Sinclair is not a household name and viewers may be unaware of who owns their local news station. Critics have accused the company of using its stations to advance a mostly right-leaning agenda. The company often sends what are called “must-runs” to its affiliates that include content like commentators speaking in support of President Trump, terrorism news updates, or speeches from company executives.

This is not the first time that Sinclair has been accused of being biased in its reporting. The company has also been accused of using connections in the Trump administration—by way of Sinclair’s chairman David D. Smith’s meeting with future FCC commissioner Ajit Pai the day before Trump’s inauguration—to ease regulations on media consolidation. Sinclair is currently seeking approval from the Justice Department and the FCC for a $3.9 billion deal to buy Tribune Media.

Correction: A previous version of this story stated that the Tribune merger would result in the company acquiring The Baltimore Sun. However, Tribune Media is the TV side of the former Tribune Co., which spun off Tribune Publishing (now known as tronc). Baltimore regrets the error.

What was once a “sick” building is now a healthy location for several
businesses, including a restaurant that Towson very much needed. Since
opening in November, Cunningham’s has been packing in the crowds in a
college town accustomed to pizza joints and inexpensive eateries. As the
Baltimore County government seat sets upon a major redevelopment this
decade, the Bagby Restaurant Group took advantage of that vision,
locating its newest restaurant in the spruced-up Towson City Center. The
former structure, off the traffic roundabout, had been mostly vacant
for years since office workers claimed they developed respiratory
illnesses there. Now, the refurbished complex is a shiny beacon in
downtown Towson with Cunningham’s holding down a primo spot in the
lobby. First of all, the place is gorgeous without being pompous. It’s
divided into several dining areas, some with white tablecloths and
plushy banquettes, others with bare tables and elegant, billowy lights
overhead. A centerpiece is a communal table, where lighted crystal beads
cascade above diners facing the open kitchen with a wood-fired grill
and brick oven.

The creative force behind the décor is Jane Smith,
the wife of owner David Smith, who, yes, is the guy who runs Sinclair
Broadcast Group when he’s not opening restaurants. His mini dining
empire also includes Fleet Street Kitchen, Ten Ten, and Bagby Pizza Co.,
all in the Harbor East area.

His latest venture carries on the
locavore mantra of the others, using products from local farmers and
fishermen, as well as eggs, pork, and lamb from Smith’s own Cunningham
Farms in Cockeysville. The kitchen staff fulfills the restaurant’s
mission, turning out contemporary American cuisine using interesting
ingredients like huckleberries, mustard fruits, and fried sage.
What
makes Cunningham’s work in the ’burbs, where chains often rule, is the
flexibility of the menu. Feel like a pizza? A wood-oven flatbread will
fit the bill. Or how about a cheeseburger? Of course, there is one.
Something more hearty? Look no further than the whole Maine lobster.

Beverage
director Tim Riley has put together a thoughtful wine list to accompany
the food with offerings representing mostly small producers from
California, Oregon, France, Italy, and other places. There are also
craft cocktails with a nod to the community with names like
“Lutherville” (rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, sherry, and fernet) and
“Stony Run” (gin, apple brandy, buckwheat honey, allspice, and lemon).
Nearby brewers are also represented, including Stillwater Artisanal Ales
and Union Craft Brewing.

We loved sitting at the bar—a friendly,
intimate space with a lighted, white-marble top and rustic stone
base—digging into the house-made charcuterie with smoked rabbit
rillettes and thin slices of lovely lambchetta (it can be done) and a
nurturing chicken pot pie that comes with a mound of dressed greens. Add
a wood-grilled mushrooms flatbread with ricotta, fontina, Parmesan, and
pickled shallots, and your appetite is quelled for the evening.

On
another night, we sat in the dining room near the bustling kitchen.
(Don’t worry. It’s not noisy.) We started our meal with the
pretzel-encrusted fried oysters, whose pièce de résistance is a
pool of sauerkraut chowder. As weird as it sounds, the tangy kraut gave
character to the delicate oysters. We were also impressed with the
steak tartare, a round of high-quality beef with dabs and swirls of
melted leeks, pickled Asian mushrooms, deviled egg, and black-pepper
purée. Perhaps the prettiest beginning was the grilled
carrot-and-avocado salad with mixed seeds, caraway, and cumin.

They
all set an impressive stage for our entrees. Cunningham’s pan-roasted
chicken breast has to be one of the most innovative takes, visually and
gastronomically, that we’ve had to date.

The chicken juts
geometrically around the plate, sharing space with a fried thigh, a
mushroom-and-potato gratin, cider-braised collards, and more.

Respected
Creekstone Farms beef makes several appearances on the menu. We had the
braised short rib—which my dining partner described as so tender you
didn’t need teeth—with Swiss chard and cheddar-and-cauliflower “grits,”
and a fine 18-ounce T-bone steak, seared to medium rare on the kitchen’s
wood grill and garnished with bone-marrow gremolata and Cunningham’s
steak sauce.

Desserts by executive pastry chef Angie Lee put a bow
on the evening. “The Pastry Shop” changes seasonally and is as cute and
sweet as it sounds. On a fall evening, it included a homemade cider
float served with a sparkling-Concord-grape macaroon, a bite-sized
chocolate éclair, and gingersnap cookies. The trifle definitely trifles
with the English version. But we’ll take this one over the traditional
version any day. This delicious concoction, served in the ubiquitous
Mason jar, features ginger-espresso granité, lime curd, a red-velvet
crouton, and vanilla cream. There’s a reason we won the Revolution.

So
far, Cunningham’s seems to have conquered Towson’s lack of
sophisticated dining options with supportive diners. Finally, the
grownups have a place to come after sundown.