Kimmel was silent, as political pressure and companies converge
The news departments have long felt anxious from the owners of companies that bow to political pressure. But the last clash between the Trump administration and a media company is not related to very beating news coverage, but rather a note by a comic late at night, Jimmy Kimmel, who suspended the ABC offer this week.
The political row and the rapid response by Disney, the parent company of ABC, highlights the increasing tendency of President Donald Trump and his allies to use government authorities to express institutions and punish them-from universities to law firms to media entities. It also explains how companies can pressure pressure from the top, in the form of threats from organizational work, and from the bottom through social campaigns that depend on social media to shame and punish speech.
Mr. Kimmel ignited a gunfire on the right By opening Monoluj Monday night with a comment about the shooter accused of Charley KerkThe conservative activist was killed last week. He said: “We have reached some of its lowest levels during the weekend, as a desperate Maga gang is trying to describe this child who killed Charlie Kirk with anything else other than one of them, and did everything in his power to score political points from him.”
Why did we write this
The comic show of comedy actor Jimmy Kimmel late at night can indicate a broader effect on freedom of expression, under President Donald Trump’s pressure and organizers under his leadership. The move also comes as media companies face a difficult environment for profits.
This was contrary to what the prosecutors revealed by Tyler Robinson, who says the police shot Mr. Kirk during an event on September 10 at Utah Valley University in Urim, Utah. It also came amid an increasingly conservative uproar on the social networking sites that are seen as glorifying or overlooking the shooting; Government employees and private sector workers have been released or commented on these comments.
Mr. Kimmel continued to comment on how Mr. Trump responded to a reporter’s question about his grief over Mr. Kerk by talking about building plans for the new White Hall. Mr. Kimmel said: “It is in the fourth stage of sadness: construction.”
On Wednesday, Brendan Car, the President of Trump, criticized the Federal Communications Committee, the statements of Mr. Kimmel and indicated that the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) will take regulatory measures against ABC and its subsidiaries to mislead the public. Later that day, ABC said it was “commented indefinitely” the show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
The comment of Mr. Kimmel follows the overthrow of Stephen Colbert, another host at night, his long -term offer on CBS was not renewed in July while the parent company was pressing the Federal Communications Committee to agree to integration. Mr. Colbert’s width will remain on the air until May. According to what was reported, both offers were losing money and perhaps it was targets for corporate costs. But the dismantling of two liberal comedians mocked Mr. Trump and raised his anger that could refer to more striking restrictions on political and ridicule by media companies that have work before the Trump administration.
“The comedians can no longer criticize the president?” Victor Picard, professor of media policy and political economy at the University of Pennsylvania, says. “If we see this in any other country, we will support this country as authoritarian.”
Wednesday night, Mr. Trump ABC applauded to comment Mr. Kimmil In a post on social media, saying he had a “zero talent” and bad classifications. He urged NBC News to cancel two other shows late at night, hosted by Seth Mayers and Jimmy Fallon, saying that both have “horrific” classifications.
Mr. Trump doubled on Thursday, indicating correspondents that networks can lose their licenses to broadcast negative coverage. “I read somewhere that the networks were 97 % against me … I think they may be taken their license.”
Democrats in Congress criticized Mr. Car for his pressure on ABC to examine the offer of Mr. Kimmel and called for him to testify on his actions. The leader of the minority in the House of Representatives, Hakim Jeffrez, said in a statement on Thursday To resign, and accuse the Trump administration of violating freedom of expression in what may “may also be part of the corrupt payment system.”
At a press conference in Capitol on Thursday, Democratic Senator Alex Badilla from California said that the abolition of the comedians was part of a pattern of violations during the era of President Trump, who filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times for defaming the stories that threaten him.
“What happened to Jimmy Kimmel last night, and Stephen Kulber in this regard, not only about one comedy, one TV personality or any one network. It is about whether the Americans are still freedom to laugh at power,” he said.
Political pressure and corporate sensitivity
Mr. Car made his comments on Mr. Kimmil and Disney on Wednesday On Podcast is hosted by a maximum right -wing activist, Benny JohnsonWho was the Sayyid Kirk reserve. On the podcast, Mr. Kar said that Mr. Kimmel has lied to the public about the ideological beliefs of Mr. Kerk alleged murderer, which means that he was conservative. “It is a very serious issue at the present time for Disney. We can do this in an easy way or in the difficult way.”
FCC Unmistakable TV networks like ABC. However, network broadcasts are broadcast by local subsidiary companies, which end up with the Federal Communications Committee (FCC). Mr. Car explained his intention to practice this authority.
“There is a procedure that we can take over as licensed broadcasters,” he told Mr. Johnson. He said that the subsidiaries “manages the possibility of fines or canceling a license from the Federal Communications Committee” if the content broadcasts that distorts the news.
One of these licenses, the NexStar Media Group, That has more than 200 stations Throughout the country, he said on Wednesday that Mr. Kimmil’s offer will not be broadcast on his subsidiaries ABC. “Mr. Kimmel’s comments on the death of Mr. Kerk are offensive and not sensitive at a critical time in our national political speech,” Andrew Alford, head of the broadcasting department at Nexstar, He said in a previous statement Disney announcement of the suspension of the offer.
NexStar sensitivity lined with corporate ambitions: the company You are currently seeking FCC approval To merge with Tegna, another TV station operator. Mr. Car, who is the head of the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) in checking this integration, later praised Nexstar for his position.
Singlair Broadcast Group, one of ABC’s largest companies She said its stations will not bear the offer of Mr. Kimmil Mr. Kimel called for an apology. It plans to broadcast a special honor for Mr. Kirk on Friday in the time period that was previously allocated to the presentation of Mr. Kimmel. Senkler is famous for its conservative content In the past, he benefited from close relationships with Mr. Trump.
It seems that the financial risks of news and entertainment companies accused of closing Mr. Trump and his allies have pushed many of their business decisions over the past year.
In December, ABC paid $ 15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Mr. Trump to describe George Stefanopoulos on the air to condemn Mr. Trump in the case of E. Jean Carroll in New York. After that, in July, Paramount, who owned CBS, paid $ 16 million after the president claimed that the interview with the usual candidate at the time, Kamala Harris, had been deceived.
In both cases, experts in the media and defamation law said that companies have strong reasons for defending the behavior of their news departments. At the time of its settlement, Paramount was seeking federal approval to integrate $ 8 billion with Skydance Media. (This was also the time frame in which CBS said, “Late at night with Stephen Colbert” will not be renewed.)
Professor Picard says: “What is being exploited is the ownership of companies for many of our media in the United States, which is primarily paid by profit,” says Professor Picard.
This tension between news as a public commodity and profit motives for media companies is not new. But the rise of social media as a source of news and influences, especially on the right, has led to the erosion of profitability and the audience’s share of the prevailing news, while uniting media and entertainment companies means fewer independent news organizations.
Rodney Benson, a professor of media, culture and communications at New York University, says more of the companies owned by a media group can be exploited by more pressure points by an administration that seeks to form news and comments in their favor. “It is a mixture of their various possessions and undergoing them from the very federal FBC Communications Committee (FCC) that raises these quick results,” he says.
Protect the first amendment of both parties
Eugene Volkh, professor of honorary law at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies the first amendment, says the ABC decision to suspend Mr. Kimmil’s offer can be considered a direct commercial decision to retain viewers and advertisers. “They have all the right to shoot him. They get control of what is on their channel.”
But if ABC responds to the threat by the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) of government revenge for freedom of expression by Mr. Kimmel, this may be in violation of the first amendment, says Professor Volkh.
Last year, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the National Gentile Association, which said that New York organizers had been able to force insurance companies to drop the products known as NRA. (Like Professor Volkh.
“It is a reminder that protection for conservatives today helps the liberals tomorrow. The protection of liberals today helps conservatives tomorrow.”