Anzio Williams, an NBC Universal executive, has sparked backlash after admitting that parent company Comcast has donated to President Donald Trump’s vanity ballroom project.
While Williams has described Comcast’s donation as the cost of doing business under the current administration, other journalists point out the irony of participating in the abuse and corruption that the news outlet regularly speaks out against.
Anzio Williams reportedly told staff Comcast’s donation to Trump’s White House ballroom project was the cost of doing business
Williams has stated that the donation was worth it to allow NBC’s journalism. He said, “If we have to name a ride after him at Universal Studios, that’s fine too, as long as it means they leave us alone.”
However, the move of donating to Trump’s extravagant ballroom has faced backlash from journalists and interested parties. One source claims that the decision to fund Trump’s pet project is a “gut punch”.
Williams has continued to defend his decision while dismissing claims that the donation influenced future journalism.
He has come out saying that sources have provided “inaccurate descriptions of my comments and the theme of my remarks. He also said that the decision to donate has received well deserved adulation, saying that he was “lauded” for giving the parent company “journalistic independence”. He added, “I noted our parent company has a lot of interests and followed up to share that they make donations across the spectrum, but our journalism is never influenced or impacted.”
Comcast was among three bidders who wanted to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, which needed a sign-off from Trump’s Department of Justice.
The president had originally quoted 100 million for the construction and had assured that it was being done through private funds. Later, however, the price increased to around 600 million, with claims that the venue would “shield” a massive underground military complex.
WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON THE DONATION?
Originally reported by Sreemanti Sengupta for Reality Tea
