Trump's censorship-focused regime is at it again. Last year, major broadcasting network CBS
cancelled the show of a beloved and popular late-night comedian,
Stephen Colbert, who had been critical of Trump. (CBS is owned by a Trump ally.) Earlier this year, his Department of so-called Justice
arrested two Black journalists for doing their jobs. And now - Trump's team has successfully pressured CBS to
block Colbert from airing an interview with an aspiring Democratic politician in Texas. Conveniently, this is just around the same time when early voting has begun in the Texas primary elections.
Sign the petition to demand that the head of CBS broadcasting resign immediately!Colbert had invited James Talarico to speak on his show - and, since both Colbert and Talarico are supposed to be entitled to freedom of speech, that should have been fine. But Talarico is running to become the Democratic candidate for the Texas state senate - and if he wins the Democratic primary, he could very well become a lawmaker in Texas if he wins the general election.
As Colbert explained: "I think that Donald Trump is worried that we're about to flip Texas. ... they're trying to control what we watch, what we say, what we read."
Apparently, not only did CBS's network lawyers tell Colbert "in no uncertain terms" that they could not broadcast the interview with Talarico - but then they
also wanted Colbert to hide the fact of this censorship. According to Colbert: "Then I was told, in some uncertain terms, that not only could I not have him on,
I could not mention me not having him on."
Talarico summarized the situation well: "The administration was playing politics and was trying to
control what a late-night show puts on air, something that's never been done before. The executives at CBS were willing to go along with it."
Let's be clear - what Trump and his Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman, Brendan Carr, are trying to do is wrong. But it's even worse when companies that are supposed to represent freedom of speech cave to this kind of totalitarian pressure.
The head of CBS broadcasting should be ashamed. Demand an immediate resignation and an apology to Colbert, Talarico, and the public!