CBS didn't air Rep. James Talarico interview out of fear of FCC • Hacker News Board

Re: CBS didn't air Rep. James Talarico interview out of fear of FCC

#21

Post by web-cowboy » Tue, Feb 17, 2026, 5:01 PM UTC

Rough spot in time to be:

- Once print newspapers were no longer a thing, even local news outlets are struggling to stay alive, and are resulting to sensationalism and entertainment as news - Corporate sponsors retain a huge influence in mainstream news (or have outright purchased it and use it for partisan politics). - "Social" media resides in (you guessed it) corporate-owned walled gardens. - Even those willing to speak out are being targeted by federal agencies

Wondering where others are finding great places to learn what's going on, what's actually relevant to me, and what I can actually do about it.

Re: CBS didn't air Rep. James Talarico interview out of fear of FCC

#22

Post by Jordan-117 » Tue, Feb 17, 2026, 5:01 PM UTC

anderber wrote: post #3

That's insane. We're talking about the government threatening a station if they air an interview with a political rival.

Tbh, in this case the fault lies more with CBS for obeying in advance. The FCC hasn't actually made the rule change yet.

Re: CBS didn't air Rep. James Talarico interview out of fear of FCC

#23

Post by pdpi » Tue, Feb 17, 2026, 5:02 PM UTC

Jordan-117 wrote: post #22

anderber wrote: post #3

That's insane. We're talking about the government threatening a station if they air an interview with a political rival.

Tbh, in this case the fault lies more with CBS for obeying in advance. The FCC hasn't actually made the rule change yet.

The FCC opened a probe on The View[0] for hosting Talarico. They haven't made a rule change, but they're definitely acting as if the rules already say what they want it to say.

[0]: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/fcc-opening-probe-the-view-a...

Re: CBS didn't air Rep. James Talarico interview out of fear of FCC

#24

Post by CGMthrowaway » Tue, Feb 17, 2026, 5:02 PM UTC

anderber wrote: post #3

That's insane. We're talking about the government threatening a station if they air an interview with a political rival.

[flagged]

Re: CBS didn't air Rep. James Talarico interview out of fear of FCC

#25

Post by renegade-otter » Tue, Feb 17, 2026, 5:03 PM UTC

martythemaniak wrote: post #4

I know things may look bleak, but America has a large, loud, well-funded contingent of free-speech advocates. As soon as Matt Taibbi, Bari Weiss, and Thomas Chatterton Williams hear about this, there'll be hell to pay!

And Elon Musk will absolutely lose it on Twitter.

Re: CBS didn't air Rep. James Talarico interview out of fear of FCC

#26

Post by CGMthrowaway » Tue, Feb 17, 2026, 5:03 PM UTC

pdpi wrote: post #23

Jordan-117 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tbh, in this case the fault lies more with CBS for obeying in advance. The FCC hasn't actually made the rule change yet.

The FCC opened a probe on The View[0] for hosting Talarico. They haven't made a rule change, but they're definitely acting as if the rules already say what they want it to say. [0]: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/fcc-opening-probe-the-view-a...

Already in 2026, Colbert has hosted Senator Jon Ossoff and Governor Josh Shapiro who are both up for re-election this year. Why no probe in those cases?

Re: CBS didn't air Rep. James Talarico interview out of fear of FCC

#27

Post by etchalon » Tue, Feb 17, 2026, 5:03 PM UTC

lenerdenator wrote: post #5

Well, what can the average person do to get CBS to air it?

You can't get CBS to air it, but you can let people know not to watch CBS.

Re: CBS didn't air Rep. James Talarico interview out of fear of FCC

#28

Post by colechristensen » Tue, Feb 17, 2026, 5:04 PM UTC

devmor wrote: post #11

anderber wrote: post #3

That's insane. We're talking about the government threatening a station if they air an interview with a political rival.

This is a terrifying level of chilling effects. What are we to consider about our nation at this point? "Free speech" has long been a term with contested definitions, but this certainly sounds like its death in every sense.

Free speech goes as far as the people who defend it.

CBS and its parent company are greedy cowards. If they won't defend free speech they're the ones causing its downfall.

Governments rule only with the consent of the people.

If you lay down and give away your freedoms you aren't the victim, you're the perpetrator.

Re: CBS didn't air Rep. James Talarico interview out of fear of FCC

#29

Post by etchalon » Tue, Feb 17, 2026, 5:04 PM UTC

loeg wrote: post #20

pphysch wrote: post #12

Recall it was the same lawnmower^W Ellison-owned CBS that last minute pulled a 60 Minutes report on CECOT. They didn't blame that one on the government. Given that, I believe the higher ups at CBS wanted this to happen, but are colluding with the executive branch or misrepresenting the situation to shift responsibility.

[flagged]

"unobjectionable" doing a lot of work in that sentence.

Re: CBS didn't air Rep. James Talarico interview out of fear of FCC

#30

Post by renegade-otter » Tue, Feb 17, 2026, 5:05 PM UTC

davidw wrote: post #7

lenerdenator wrote: post #5

Well, what can the average person do to get CBS to air it?

I think corporate media is mostly lost. We need to build something new. Pay attention to things like The Bulwark or Liberal Currents. It's really early days for all that, so who knows where things go, but people like Bezos would rather destroy media outlets than sell them to someone who would allow them to speak out against the regime.

I have been The Bulwark listener/subscriber since day one. Those people are keeping me sane.

That said, their day will come. Just like in Russia, after the low-hanging fruit is cut, the state will come for The Bulwark and Steve Jobs's widow, because The Atlantic is going be get increasingly annoying.