One America News Network

One America News Network

File:One America News Network logo.svg
Company type	Private
Industry	Pay television news channel
Founded	July 4, 2013 (2013-07-04)
Founder	Robert Herring Sr.
Headquarters	San Diego, California , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Robert Herring Sr. (founder and CEO)
Products	News and political commentary programming
Owner	Herring Networks, Inc.
Number of employees	150 (2021)

One America News Network (commonly known as OANN or OAN) is a far-right American pay-TV channel specializing in news and political commentary. Established by Robert Herring Sr. and owned by Herring Networks, Inc., it began broadcasting on July 4, 2013. The network’s main headquarters are located in San Diego, California, with additional offices in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

By 2019, OAN claimed to be accessible in approximately 35 million households, with viewership estimates ranging from 150,000 to 500,000; however, Nielsen ratings placed its audience closer to 14,000. By mid-2022, its distribution had dramatically declined to just a few hundred thousand subscribers through smaller cable providers.

Robert Herring Sr. testified that the network’s inception was influenced by executives from AT&T. Historically, DirecTV—a subsidiary of AT&T—accounted for up to 90% of OAN’s revenue but discontinued carrying the channel in 2022.

OAN’s evening political talk programs offer a conservative viewpoint and have been described by the network as some of the "strongest supporters" of Donald Trump. The network’s visibility increased significantly due to Trump’s endorsement of its content and hosts. OAN is also recognized for disseminating misinformation and conspiracy theories, which has affected its standing within the media environment.

History

Herring Networks, Inc., founded in 2003 by conservative entrepreneur Robert Herring Sr., announced plans for OAN on March 14, 2013. The channel launched in collaboration with The Washington Times, a conservative daily newspaper. While OAN had access to The Washington Times content, it was not required to use it exclusively; roughly 60 to 65 employees at Herring Broadcasting were primarily dedicated to OAN operations.

At the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference, Herring remarked that although Fox News effectively served center-right and independent viewers, there was a lack of diverse alternatives.

In October 2021, Reuters disclosed through court documents that OAN was established at the prompting of AT&T executives, who contributed up to 90% of the network’s revenue. A deposition from 2020 revealed that without a contract with DirecTV—an AT&T subsidiary—OAN would have no value. The network had committed to portraying AT&T positively during its broadcasts.

In July 2014, OAN relocated its news and production facilities closer to the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

In early 2020, associates of then-President Trump considered acquiring OAN. In November of that year, YouTube suspended OAN for one week and revoked its monetization privileges due to the promotion of a false COVID-19 treatment. By April 2021, OAN’s YouTube channel had nearly 1.5 million subscribers, while its San Diego headquarters employed approximately 150 staff members.

In January 2022, DirecTV announced it would not renew contracts with Herring Networks, affecting both OAN and sister channel AWE (TV network). Both channels were removed from DirecTV in April 2022, leading to employee departures. In response, OAN host Dan Ball encouraged viewers to scrutinize AT&T board chairman William Kennard.

Verizon Fios, which remained OAN’s largest distributor after DirecTV’s exit, informed customers in July 2022 that it would drop the network over contract disputes. August 1, 2022 marked OAN’s final day on major cable or satellite providers nationwide. Commentator Pearson Sharp attributed Verizon’s decision to being a "radical Marxist" corporation.

In December 2024, after former Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration as Donald Trump’s nominee for United States Attorney General amid sexual assault allegations, Gaetz joined OAN as a weekday show host beginning January 2025.

On May 7, 2025, Kari Lake announced that OAN would deliver news coverage for Voice of America. In July 2025, the channel was added across Spectrum systems nationwide.

Programming

OAN's schedule features shows such as Tipping Point with Kara McKinney, Real America with Dan Ball, Weekly Briefing with John Hines, Fine Point with Chanel Rion, The Real Story with Riley Lewis, and Nights with Chris Boyle.

In August 2014, the channel introduced On Point with Tomi Lahren, which quickly gained viral popularity and elevated Lahren's public profile until her final episode aired in August 2015. The following week, former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin served as guest host for a program.

In 2019, OAN broadcast the documentary film Claws of the Red Dragon, produced by NTD Canada and distributed in the United States by Steve Bannon.

Content

OAN is recognized for its supportive stance toward Donald Trump, its dissemination of conspiracy theories including claims of 2020 election fraud, and its critical perspective on mainstream media outlets. The network has self-identified as one of Trump's "greatest supporters" and has been described as a vehicle for political propaganda.

Martin Golingan, a former producer, characterized OAN's operational model as targeting an audience drawn to conspiracy narratives, employing a strategy centered on satisfying viewers within an outrage-driven culture.

Sources

Following the network's inception, CEO Robert Herring instructed the news team to incorporate must-run stories sourced from far-right platforms like Breitbart News, InfoWars, and The Gateway Pundit. A previous producer testified during a defamation lawsuit that he and his colleagues were directed to cite The Gateway Pundit as a reference. An email from January 2021 advised producers to take inspiration from outlets including The Gateway Pundit, The Blaze, and The Epoch Times.

Pro-Trump content

OAN maintains a pro-Trump editorial line. Robert Herring Sr., the founder and CEO, mandated that producers emphasize pro-Trump, anti-Clinton, and anti-abortion narratives while downplaying coverage of Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election. Polling data that did not show Trump in the lead was prohibited from airing. According to former producer Marissa Gonzales in 2021, all Trump-related stories were required to highlight only favorable or fabricated positive information.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, OAN aired a special titled Betrayal at Benghazi: The Cost of Hillary Clinton's Dereliction and Greed. Herring propagated unfounded allegations regarding Hillary Clinton’s health and instructed staff to limit coverage of Pope Francis's visit to the U.S., due to his advocacy on climate change issues. Network executives also directed minimizing reports on Russian aggression and avoiding topics concerning difficulties faced by the new president.

In October 2017, OAN incorrectly asserted that a report indicated "U.K. Crime Rises 13% Annually Amid Spread of Radical Islamic Terror," a false claim later repeated by President Trump.

By June 2017, OAN had secured a permanent position within the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. Chief White House Correspondent Trey Yingst emerged as one of the leading journalists covering the Trump administration. President Trump frequently responded to questions from OAN during press briefings and praised it as "a great network." CEO Robert Herring described the channel’s White House press presence as firm yet equitable.

OAN endorsed the Trump administration’s decision to revoke CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s press credentials, criticizing Fox News for opposing this action. The network also submitted legal briefs supporting the White House in associated lawsuits.

Rudy Giuliani used OAN as a platform to promote conspiracy theories linked to the Trump–Ukraine controversy. In January 2020, OAN aired disproven conspiracy claims alleging illegal wiretapping of President Trump. The network broadcasts all of Trump's speeches without interruption.

In August 2020, OAN posted a segment titled "America Under Siege: The Attempt to Overthrow President Trump," which claimed that demonstrations following George Floyd’s death were part of an anarchist-led "coup attempt"; this post was retweeted by Trump himself.

On February 11, 2021, shortly after Trump left office, OAN aired a "tribute to his accomplishments" set to Rudyard Kipling’s poem "If—", credited to an InfoWars contributor.

In March 2024, OAN promoted an unfounded story alleging that Michael Cohen had an affair with Stormy Daniels and used it to extort the Trump Organization. The network reached a legal settlement with Cohen in April, acknowledging that the story was false.

Controversy Surrounding Roy Moore Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Following the November 2017 report by The Washington Post accusing Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of making inappropriate sexual advances toward minors, OAN offered coverage that was both supportive of Moore and skeptical of his accusers. In that same month, OAN broadcast a segment referencing a fabricated rumor originating from an anonymous Twitter user, which claimed that The Washington Post had offered $1,000 to Moore’s accusers. The network presented the tweet as a "report" and identified the poster as a "former Secret Service agent and Navy veteran," despite the account’s documented history of misinformation and identity misrepresentation. OAN did not issue a correction after the falsehood was exposed.

Throughout Moore’s Senate campaign, he cited OAN reports in his defense, including one alleging connections between his accusers, drug dealers, and The Washington Post. On the night of the 2017 Alabama Senate special election, OAN prematurely and inaccurately declared Moore the winner by a significant margin, referencing "unofficial polling data." Their website also published an incorrect article asserting Moore’s victory "despite attacks from Democrats concerning unverified allegations." Furthermore, OAN disseminated claims of voter fraud without substantiating evidence, according to statements from Alabama’s Secretary of State.

David Hogg Conspiracy Theory

In February 2018, an OAN host posted a conspiracy theory on Twitter suggesting that David Hogg—a 17-year-old survivor of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting—was coached to criticize President Trump and was protecting his father, a retired FBI agent. This tweet received a "like" from Donald Trump Jr. Hogg responded by condemning the theory as "immature, rude, and inhuman."

Chemical Attack in Syria

During an April 2018 visit led by the Assad regime to the Douma chemical attack site, an OAN correspondent asserted there was no proof of a chemical assault. The reporter claimed that local residents denied witnessing or hearing about such an event and expressed their support for Bashar al-Assad.

In May 2019, OAN aired a report stating that the White Helmets confessed to fabricating chemical attacks to implicate the Assad government, referring to the organization as "terrorist-linked." This narrative was identified by The Daily Beast and CNN as part of Russian disinformation efforts. U.S. intelligence agencies have noted that Western outlets often inadvertently amplify such propaganda.

Anti-Semitism Incident

In November 2025, Vish Burra—an OAN booker and scriptwriter for The Matt Gaetz Show—was terminated after posting an anti-Semitic AI-generated video on X (formerly Twitter). The video depicted Burra forcefully entering a "Scheming Room" marked with the Star of David and threatening Jewish individuals portrayed as cockroaches.

Jack Posobiec: Conspiracy Theorist Affiliated with OAN

Alt-right conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec served as a political correspondent for OAN from 2018 until 2021. He was notably involved in promoting conspiracy theories such as Pizzagate and theories surrounding the murder of Seth Rich.

In September 2018, Posobiec conducted an interview on OAN with an online pro-Hitler figure known as Microchip without revealing this individual’s affiliations. The Southern Poverty Law Center has highlighted their joint role in spreading disinformation, including falsehoods connected to Pizzagate. Amid the 2020 George Floyd protests in Buffalo, New York, Posobiec also circulated an unverified pipe bomb conspiracy theory.

Russia

OAN has a reputation for minimizing the dangers that Russia poses to the United States. A former producer at OAN recounted being told on his initial day, "Yeah, we like Russia here." One journalist, Kristian Brunovich Rouz, simultaneously contributes to the Russian state-run propaganda outlet Sputnik; OAN does not reveal this dual affiliation when broadcasting his segments favorable to Russia. Rouz fabricated a 2017 report alleging that Hillary Clinton's PAC covertly financed antifa. In May 2020, he aired a segment asserting "growing evidence of a globalist conspiracy" involving the Clintons, George Soros, Bill Gates, Anthony Fauci, and China—without presenting any proof.

In September 2019, Herring Networks, OAN’s parent company, filed a $10 million lawsuit against MSNBC host Rachel Maddow and Comcast after Maddow described OAN as "literally [is] paid Russian propaganda," referencing an article exposing Rouz’s ties to Sputnik. The lawsuit was dismissed when the court determined Maddow’s remarks were not defamatory but rather a reasonable interpretation of public information. In February 2021, Herring Networks was ordered to cover $250,000 in legal fees for Maddow and MSNBC under an anti-SLAPP statute. The appeal by OAN was rejected in August 2021, with the court ruling that Maddow’s statement was an evident exaggeration within an undisputed news context and thus not libelous.

Chanel Rion

OAN brought on Chanel Rion as a correspondent in 2019. Before joining OAN, Rion worked as a political cartoonist, propagated conspiracy theories about Seth Rich, authored an anti-feminist children’s book, and endorsed a publication by a Holocaust denier. In October 2019, she inaccurately alleged that former FBI lawyer Lisa Page and ex-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe were involved in an affair; OAN later withdrew this story.

By January 2020, Rion was appointed chief White House correspondent for OAN. However, in April 2020, she was expelled from the White House Correspondents' Association and lost her official press credentials after breaching social distancing protocols within the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. Despite this ban, Rion claimed that White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham personally invited her back just one day later.

False claims about George Soros

OAN has broadcast false narratives accusing George Soros—a Hungarian-born American philanthropist—of collaborating with Nazis as a teenager. The network also alleged that Soros financed migrant caravans heading toward the United States.

During a December 2019 Ukraine report featuring Rudy Giuliani, OAN correspondent Chanel Rion baselessly asserted that Soros appeared at Kyiv airport accompanied by "human Dobermans in little black Mercedes." This claim was widely mocked across both Ukrainian and American media outlets. Notably, Soros had not been publicly known to visit Ukraine since 2016.

COVID-19 pandemic conspiracy theories

OAN promoted hydroxychloroquine as a supposed "miracle cure" for COVID-19 while blaming Big Tech and the "Chinese-controlled" World Health Organization for conducting a "massive disinformation campaign" that prevented its endorsement.

In March 2020, Chanel Rion advanced a conspiracy theory suggesting COVID-19 originated from a laboratory in North Carolina, citing an unverified "citizen investigator" who was actually a Twitter conspiracy theorist. She also made unsupported claims that Anthony Fauci funded the virus's development and accused mainstream media of parroting Chinese Communist Party propaganda. During a Trump press briefing, she questioned whether calling it "Chinese food" was racist and accused major left-wing media outlets of aligning with foreign propaganda and extremist groups.

In May 2020, OAN host Liz Wheeler falsely asserted that mainstream media fabricated a deadly spike in COVID-19 cases following Wisconsin’s Spring election; PolitiFact rated this claim as "Pants on Fire," confirming the accuracy of reported case data.

In November 2020, YouTube suspended OAN’s channel from uploading videos for one week and demonetized it due to violations of policies against COVID-19 misinformation after OAN posted a video promoting a fraudulent COVID-19 cure. OAN responded by accusing YouTube of infringing on First Amendment rights and reposted the video on its own website.

In September 2022, OAN covered a declaration by scientists and doctors claiming COVID-19 vaccines caused an "international medical crisis." Fact-checkers pointed out that OAN neglected to mention these assertions had been previously debunked as false and misleading.

George Floyd demonstrations

In June 2020, during nationwide protests addressing racial injustice and police violence sparked by the murder of George Floyd, OAN correspondent Jack Posobiec inaccurately reported that pipe bombs had been placed at the Korean War Memorial in Washington D.C. He also claimed that "federal assets [were] in pursuit." However, no pipe bombs or any evidence of federal action were discovered.

Buffalo police incident involving a protester

OAN incorrectly asserted that an elderly demonstrator who was forcefully pushed by law enforcement was "attempting to capture the radio communications signature of Buffalo police officers" and connected this individual to antifa. Drawing on OAN’s baseless narrative, then-President Trump tweeted suggesting the protester "could be an ANTIFA provocateur." OAN’s Kristian Rouz cited solely The Conservative Treehouse, an anonymous right-wing website, without providing supporting evidence. Later that day, OAN’s founder Herring Sr. tweeted to Trump, pledging, "we won't let you down as your source for credible news!" On June 13, demonstrators assembled outside OAN’s San Diego headquarters, where Herring Sr. challenged them to disprove the network’s claims.

2020 United States presidential election

Following the 2020 United States presidential election, OAN played a significant role in disseminating unfounded allegations of electoral fraud and endorsing related conspiracy theories. Merely five days after the Associated Press declared Joe Biden the winner, OAN maintained that Donald Trump had prevailed, persistently referring to Trump as "President Trump" while addressing Biden simply as "Biden" or "Joe Biden" for months beyond the January 2021 inauguration.

OAN anchor Christina Bobb was present at the Willard Hotel "command center," where associates of Trump endeavored to obstruct certification of Biden’s victory. In an October 2021 deposition, Rudy Giuliani revealed that Bobb was required to review her reports with the Trump campaign to comply with their guidelines. In January 2022, The Washington Post disclosed that Bobb collaborated with Giuliani and others in December 2020 on a scheme involving Republicans from seven states to fabricate certificates of ascertainment falsely declaring Trump’s reelection.

The network’s viewership expanded substantially due to its election-related coverage, partly fueled by Donald Trump’s dissatisfaction with Fox News’ reporting and his recommendation for supporters to watch OAN or Newsmax TV, both conservative outlets promoting false election narratives.

Reuters reported that on the day of the 2021 United States Capitol attack, an OAN news director instructed employees not to describe the event as a riot or label participants as "Trump supporters," instead referring to them as demonstrators or protestors. The following day, OAN leadership proposed investigating assertions of Antifa involvement despite no FBI evidence substantiating such claims.

Dominion Voting Systems controversy

OAN was a prominent amplifier of conspiracy theories alleging that Dominion Voting Systems manipulated vote counts to secure Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s win. The channel spent months accusing Dominion of collusion with antifa activists, broadcasting a fabricated map purportedly obtained by the US Army depicting a Trump landslide, and hosting interviews advancing an international communist conspiracy involving Dominion. Some of these claims were echoed by Donald Trump, including false allegations that millions of votes for Trump were switched to Biden—originating from pro-Trump sources. Trump also shared an OAN segment featuring Ron Watkins, a far-right conspiracy theorist associated with QAnon, falsely presented as an election expert promoting Dominion-related conspiracies.

After Dominion filed a $1.3 billion defamation suit against Sidney Powell, OAN quietly removed all mentions of Dominion and Smartmatic—another company falsely accused—without issuing public retractions. Nevertheless, on February 5, 2021, OAN aired Absolute Proof, produced by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, which contained fraudulent voter fraud claims. The broadcast included an extended disclaimer attributing these allegations solely to Lindell while stating that the 2020 election results "remain disputed and questioned by millions of Americans," likely as a legal precaution against lawsuits from Dominion and Smartmatic.

On August 10, 2021, Dominion initiated a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against OAN for "knowingly and continuously" disseminating false narratives about election fraud.

Russian disinformation

On January 25, 2020, OAN broadcasted The Ukraine Hoax: Impeachment, Biden Cash, and Mass Murder. In March 2021, the United States intelligence community disclosed that Russian intelligence operatives engaged with prominent US media personalities and assisted in producing a documentary aired on a US television channel in late January 2020. This documentary aimed to disseminate deceptive narratives about Joe Biden to American media outlets, government officials, and individuals affiliated with former President Trump and his administration.

Advocacy of executions

In June 2021, OAN host Pearson Sharp made unfounded claims regarding widespread voter fraud and alleged foreign interference by China and Pakistan intended to secure Joe Biden’s presidency. He referenced historical instances where the United States purportedly executed "traitors," implying that those responsible would ultimately face similar consequences.

This commentary was embraced by adherents of the QAnon conspiracy theory, strengthening their anticipation of a forthcoming "storm" during which Trump’s adversaries would be apprehended and executed.

Arizona election audit

In the 2020 election, Trump was defeated in Arizona and its largest county, Maricopa. Arizona Senate Republicans, under the leadership of Karen Fann, raised concerns about potential fraud and commissioned private companies to perform an audit of Maricopa’s ballots. OAN extensively covered the audit despite widespread criticism. Bobb and Rion established a 501(c)(4) social welfare entity to fundraise for the audit, promoting it during broadcasts. The investigation revealed no fraud evidence and confirmed that Biden’s victory margin was slightly greater than initially reported.

Doxxing and harassment of New York Times journalist

On March 18, 2021, OAN aired a segment disclosing New York Times journalist Rachel Abrams’ phone number while accusing her of soliciting information from dissatisfied OAN staff for a "hit piece." The network encouraged viewers to "resist intimidation by the left" by contacting her directly. OAN also posted her number on Twitter; however, the platform removed the tweet after more than six hours for breaching policies on private information. On April 18, Abrams authored an article featuring interviews with current and former OAN employees who described the network’s broadcasts as "misleading, inaccurate or false," with some expressing hope that legal action from Dominion Voting Systems would be pursued—which subsequently occurred. Marty Golingan, who was interviewed in this piece, was terminated by OAN shortly after its publication.

Reception

In March 2015, Marty Kaplan, a media professor at USC, commended the network for its commitment to unbiased news coverage, highlighting its delivery of numerous brief reports in contrast to rival outlets. Nevertheless, he later remarked that the network's talk shows had transitioned from being "sand traps" to resembling "more like the Sahara." Don Kaplan of the New York Daily News also viewed the channel as a balanced news provider offering commercial-free, non-partisan content, though he noted that its opinion programming exhibited a pronounced right-wing bias.

By July 2017, Marc Fisher of The Washington Post identified the network as a steady advocate for the Trump administration’s agenda. In 2018, Media Matters criticized host Liz Wheeler for endorsing conspiracy theories related to abortion and Planned Parenthood. In 2019, Wikipedia downgraded OAN alongside The Gateway Pundit and The Daily Caller due to their dissemination of false information and misleading reports.

John Oliver’s April 2020 segment on Last Week Tonight condemned OAN for promoting far-right narratives, exhibiting poor journalistic standards, and maintaining close connections with the Trump administration. Later that year, journalist Karl Bode described the network as a significant contributor to the spread of misinformation in the U.S., comparing it to a government-run propaganda outlet rather than a legitimate news source.

In 2022, the Global Disinformation Index assigned OAN a high risk rating for disinformation, citing insufficient transparency regarding its fact-checking procedures and ownership structure, which raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and editorial influence. Additionally, NewsGuard categorizes OAN as an unreliable information source.

Ratings

As of June 2019, OAN claimed distribution in 35 million households with viewership estimates ranging from 150,000 to 500,000; however, Nielsen Media Research approximated its audience at approximately 14,000. The network does not subscribe to Nielsen services due to costly fees, resulting in limited access to consistent audience measurement data.

Litigation

In February 2021, a federal court awarded $250,000 to MSNBC in an anti-SLAPP counterclaim following OAN’s $10 million defamation suit involving Rachel Maddow. The court dismissed OAN’s lawsuit as frivolous and ordered it to cover MSNBC’s legal expenses.

In March 2022, OAN initiated a $1 billion lawsuit against AT&T and DirecTV after DirecTV announced plans to discontinue carrying the channel in April. OAN alleged this action was part of a deliberate political campaign aimed at undermining its media operations. The complaint also accused AT&T and DirecTV of breaching confidentiality agreements by publicizing the contract’s termination and claimed AT&T disparaged OAN through media coverage including reports by CNN and John Oliver’s critiques on Last Week Tonight. In January 2023, most allegations were dismissed; however, the judge found that OAN’s president Charles Herring had adequately asserted a confidentiality breach claim entitling him to nominal damages.

2020 election lawsuits

In December 2020, Eric Coomer, an executive at Dominion Voting Systems, filed a defamation suit naming OAN alongside outlets such as Newsmax and The Gateway Pundit. Coomer alleged these defendants falsely branded him a "traitor," resulting in credible death threats. OAN reached a settlement with Coomer in August 2023.

Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic filed lawsuits against OAN in August and November 2021 respectively for disseminating false allegations of fraud during the 2020 presidential election.

In December 2021, former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Moss brought defamation claims against OAN and its senior executives over false broadcasts accusing them of illegal ballot tampering favoring Joe Biden. They reported experiencing threats and harassment. By April 2022, they settled with OAN, which subsequently aired a brief statement admitting that the accusations were untrue.

Court documents from January 2024 related to Smartmatic’s defamation case revealed that on January 8, 2021, OAN president Charles Herring emailed Sidney Powell a spreadsheet purportedly containing Smartmatic employee passwords. Smartmatic’s attorneys argued this suggested potential criminal conduct violating data privacy statutes. Herring also requested further details from an anonymous source. CEO Robert Herring reportedly sent a similar spreadsheet to Mike Lindell. The parties reached a settlement in April 2024.

See also

• Cyberwarfare by Russia
• List of conspiracy theories