In the world of modern news media, where everything is a headline waiting to happen, it seems no story is too trivial to spin into a full-blown controversy. Take the latest kerfuffle involving a certain late-night entertainer and a hapless TV network. The left is beside itself because President Trump is riding high with recent economic successes and ousting some less savory characters. So what do they do? Conjure up a storm in a teacup about imagined censorship.
Apparently, a political candidate from Texas, James Talarico, was expected to appear on a late-night show hosted by a comedian who can’t resist a good jab at the Trump administration. Alas, the interview never graced the airwaves, sending some into a frenzy over supposed Trump-orchestrated censorship. How do they rationalize this? By claiming Trump’s administration strong-armed CBS into silencing opposition voices. Yet, as luck would have it, the actual rules of broadcasting require equal airtime for all major candidates – a concept as old-fashioned as asking for directions when lost, but a rule nonetheless.
In comes FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to lay out the bare facts. The truth is, the network didn’t balk at featuring Talarico out of fear, but out of an antiquated need to ensure that each candidate gets their 15 minutes, especially in a heated primary battle. Yet, this narrative doesn’t sell papers or spike ratings, so the media instead fans the flames of nonexistent oppression, like children inventing monsters under the bed.
This supposed misstep became a boon for Talarico, who magically turned a veiled attempt at censorship into a campaign cash cow, raking in millions while playing the misunderstood underdog. It’s a classic PR move: create a tempest, cast yourself as the innocent victim, and watch the donations pile up. It’s almost as if this was the plan from the start.
Meanwhile, the FCC is dutifully engaged in trying to sort out legitimate broadcasting concerns. There’s even a twist involving a certain daytime talk show that claims to be hard news to dodge similar rules. It’s a tangled web of media maneuvering, but one thing is clear: while the legacy media trips over its own shoelaces trying to trip up Trump, the real winners are those savvy enough to manipulate outrage into votes or dollars. In this theater of the absurd, fabrications become facts faster than you can say “fake news,” all while the show goes on and on, with viewers spellbound for another round of political theatre.
