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James Brinkruff's avatar

Greg could this be an excuse to rid themselves of a poorly performing show ? What he said was silly and factually incorrect but there is no inciting violence for sure. Some of the comments on line were evil but this one seemed silly. Just seems like there’s more to the story

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jabster's avatar

I've seen that floated that Disney used the FCC's jawboning as an excuse/cover to get rid of a poorly performing show.

Of course, that doesn't excuse the FCC's jawboning.

Conservatives should remember that progressives are taking notes, and Fox has O&O TV stations as well.

Question for the better legal minds: Is there any other case law banning specific content on the airwaves other than FCC v. Pacifica (the George Carlin "seven dirty words" case)?

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PowerCorrupts's avatar

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😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

Just a "tad of emotional maturity:"

Up to 50% of depressed people are cured by placebo.

Up to 60% of anxious people are cured by placebo.

an innocuous placebo can become insidious instantly... such as when baby's pacifier is lost and the baby's filthy thumb that the sterile pacifier was preventing... goes right back in the baby's mouth!😝

~No American takes the White House recommended inoculation ...the inoculation recommended by scientists and by Ms.FDR:

"Do one thing every day that scares you " ...thus preventing anxiety that leads to depression that leads to suicidality that leads to suicide/murder.

When Ellison or Zuck or Bezos or Musk or Trump or Disney or AI or an algorithm, etc turns the innocuous placebos of 60% of the US to MURDEROUS RAGEFUL TERRORIST FASCISM...

...***GAME OVER***

Uptrends: In 10 years most Americans will want to die?

Osama Bin Laden copycats have a name for those Americans: "AMMO!"

😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

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J. J. Ramsey's avatar

One might have been able to argue that with Colbert, but this case is more clear-cut, since Brendan Carr overtly threatened ABC: https://www.imightbewrong.org/p/the-kimmel-cancelation-is-a-million

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Victor's avatar

Exactly what I’ve been saying. Anyone with common sense and an understanding of capitalism knows this was a market based decision. Kimmel was even less profitable than Colbert, who already has been cancelled. They just used Kirk and Trump as an excuse. Now leftists can be outraged and claim the world is against them. In reality it’s all about profit or lack thereof. My only surprise is how long it took. All these late shows are competing for the same 40% on the left, having already alienated conservatives and moderates, and of those leftists how many are still watching tv? It’s basic economics, man.

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James A. Weaks's avatar

Yeah, no way I'm going to get real worked up over this. They should have kept their mouths shut, but the FCC does have at least some legitimate regulatory authority here. The Biden admin had ZERO authority over social media and still pressured them to censor information they found inconvenient. Has everyone already forgotten “The Twitter Files?”

And by the way, all 3 liberal SCOTUS justices agreed that it is constitutional for the executive branch to make censorship threats as long as those threats are vague. https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/06/justices-side-with-biden-over-governments-influence-on-social-media-content-moderation/

For at least the past 60+ years, a significant chunk of the Democratic party and the left have argued for, and engaged in, more aggressive FCC action against opinions they don't like.

Did the Trump administration misstep here? Yeah, they did. They forgot that when an enemy is making a mistake, you should not interrupt them.

At the same time, I am far more worried about the left’s silencing tactics. I spoke out immediately against what Pam Bondi said the other day, and there was a lot of push back on her from the right. She ended up rolling back her statements in about 24 hours. If the vile harpies on “The View” are still on the air, freedom of speech is probably ok.

For the record: I don’t want censorship. I don’t want the government involved in controlling or regulating speech. Maybe we need to change the powers of the FCC?

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Lex Rex, Esq.'s avatar

Canceling him for an inappropriate joke offends my senses as a comedian. Canceling him for saying anything offends my senses as a lawyer. Canceling him because he sucks … I’m on board. But ABC couldn’t say, “You suck, Jimmie,” so they took the coward’s path and hid behind political expediency.

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Victor's avatar

You know how it is though. When was the last time anyone was fired for sucking? It’s always some passive aggressive bullshit answer.

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EZTejas123's avatar

"The move comes after station owner Nexstar Media Group said it would yank the show from its ABC affiliate stations as a result of the comments. The Irving, Texas-based Nexstar announced Wednesday that Kimmel will be off its stations for the foreseeable future.

“Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets,” a company representative said in a statement." (LA Times)

Note that Nexstar is ABC's largest affiliate organization. So, yeah, "But TRUMP......."

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sooz's avatar

Sounds like ABC’s actions are more in response to the objections of their affiliate organizations (grass roots?) than any suggestion or poorly worded comment from the FCC.

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Robert C Culwell's avatar

Market Forces or Sucking up to the FCC?

Did Disney 🤔🐁 getting an easy out? ✂️💰

⚡📡 Sinclair and Nexstar have to listen to their customers. That CK's assassins were somehow part of the "MAGA GANG" was not marketable.

Late Night is dying. Kimmel just wasn't funny. Legacy media has zero integrity in the red states. Is editorial bias in the public interest?

Charlie Kirk deserves a legacy of free speech and open civil dialog. The 🎬 🎶 📻 📺 📰 old line media infotainment corporations enforced a vice like grip on their PC orthodoxy of CRT/DEI, verging on full collectivist Agitprop, but elections 🔔🗽🇺🇲📜 have consequences. ⏰

Lord, have mercy....

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Karen Lynch's avatar

‘He said the MAGA right was “trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” and that’s true.’ Seriously? You’re going to parse that statement as truth? Have always respected Mr. Lukianoff. I find this take to be tortured and stretched reasoning of the highest order. To call this a true statement reminds me of every teenager who led their parents to a completely wrong conclusion and then, when found out, protested “But I didn’t lie! It’s technically a true statement!”

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Gluten freedom's avatar

He has an employer, right? Don’t they get the final say? And think of all the money they’ll save! Kimmel just want funny, he was a whiney elite. And I don’t want political commentary from a so called comedian.

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Derek Simmons's avatar

Seems this time you may have been Ready F.I.R.E. Aim

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Susan Daniels's avatar

You mean people on the right were doing exactly what the left has been doing for years? They were looking for a reason to get rid of Kimmel, and low audience ratings wouldn't be fast enough. Kimmel knew they were not going to renew his contract, and he gave them a reason to get rid of him now. What I find puzzling is why they are offering him a chance to return if he apologizes and makes a donation. There are no clean hands here.

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Celine C's avatar

I wish the time of decency could come back on both sides (extreme side I should say). It does not look like Jimmy was ready to apologize either . People should stay in their lanes. Do we need Jimmy Kimmel to comment politics…

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Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)'s avatar

Scary times!!!!

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Sean Valdrow's avatar

Kimmel sucked and deserved to get fired.

Leftism sucks and must be rooted out.

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Richard Kuslan's avatar

Tenuous argument re: causation.

The outrage is that what happens to an untalented and unintelligent individual, among a horde of untalented and unintelligent Hollywood celebrities America has put up with for fifty miserable unentertaining years, matters to anyone at all.

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Caz Swayzie's avatar

Well written, Greg. It may be time to review the parameters of "free speech." Is propagating a lie a valid boundary, as treason or sedition would be?

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Liam Brooks's avatar

Censorship: it's ok when OUR side does it

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EZTejas123's avatar

'cept that's not what it was.

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Liam Brooks's avatar

What would you describe this as? Genuinely curious.

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EZTejas123's avatar

At my most cynical? Most likely a case of management wanting to dump a very expensive yet unprofitable and troublesome employee who has a "morals" clause in his contract. He handed ABC a handy excuse and Carr inadvertently supplied plenty of cover. Its a win-win for the suits at ABC.

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Liam Brooks's avatar

I wouldn't disagree with any of that. The behaviour of the FCC chief is what concerns me rather than ABC wanting an easy out of their contract with Kimmel.

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EZTejas123's avatar

Yeah, it does me, too. His comments were ham-handed and actually shifted responsibility off of Kimmel.

That's too bad. Its hard enough for some the learn their actions have consequences that they cant blame on others. This gives him a pedestal on which to stand and puff out his chest as the latest progressive victim.

But hey! Look at the bright side. At least this administration is open about it. That's quite a difference from a couple others I can think of. .

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