Karah Rucker:
THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW THE MEDIA CAN MANIPULATE FACTS TO A STORY IN ORDER TO TURN IT INTO SOMETHING THAT IT’S NOT.
THE STORY OVER JIMMY KIMMEL QUICKLY TURNED INTO A POLITICAL BATTLE –
THE PARTISAN MEDIA TOOK SIDES AND PARTICIPATED IN THAT –
REALLY IT WOULD’VE BEEN SO EASY TO JUST GIVE THE FACTS –
AND THEN THEY WOULDN’T BE EATING THEIR WORDS NOW.
LET’S TALK ABOUT KIMMEL’S SUSPENSION –
AND NOW HIS COMEBACK –
AND WHERE BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT GOT IT WRONG.
WELCOME BACK TO BIAS BREAKDOWN.
Jimmy Kimmel: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the maga gang trying to characterize this kid who murdered charlie kirk as anything but one of them and doing anything they can to score political points from it.”
Karah Rucker: A WEEK AFTER THOSE REMARKS WERE MADE –
DISNEY-OWNED ABC ANNOUNCED “JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE” WOULD RETURN AFTER A SHORT SUSPENSION.
DISNEY WROTE “WE MADE THE DECISION TO SUSPEND PRODUCTION ON THE SHOW TO AVOID FURTHER INFLAMING A TENSE SITUATION AT AN EMOTIONAL MOMENT FOR OUR COUNTRY. IT’S A DECISION WE MADE BECAUSE WE FELT SOME OF THE COMMENTS FROM KIMMEL WERE ILL-TIMED AND INSENSITIVE.”
ABC NEWS WENT A WEEK WITHOUT ANY PUBLIC COMMENT OVER **WHY THEY SUSPENDED HIS SHOW IN THE FIRST PLACE.
BUT NOW WE KNOW.
AND I’VE HAD TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO TODAY’S EPISODE BECAUSE BY THE TIME THAT ANNOUNCEMENT CAME OUT LATE AFTERNOON MONDAY – I WAS BASICALLY DONE WRITING ABOUT THIS – BUT THAT’S THE UPDATE I HAD BEEN WAITING ON FOR DAYS AND DAYS.
BECAUSE ABC WAS SILENT.
AND IN THEIR SILENCE – THINGS FESTERED – AND THE PARTISAN MEDIA – DECIDED IT WAS OKAY TO SPEAK FOR THEM – AND TELL YOU **WHY ABC SUSPENDED THE SHOW –
WITH LEFT AND RIGHT MEDIA POLITICIZING THE SHOW’S SUSPENSION –
INSTEAD OF JUST TELLING YOU THE FACT – THAT ABC DID NOT OFFER AN EXPLANATION – SO – THEY RAN WITH NARRATIVES.
SOME LEFT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS – WANTED YOU TO BLAME PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THE FCC FOR KIMMEL’S SHOW BEING PULLED.
MSNBC anchor: “This is just the latest in donald trump’s ongoing campaign to crackdown on free speech, dominate the media, and essentially render the first amendment meaningless.”
ABC anchor: “This threat from the FCC – the latest in a series of moves against the independent media from President Trump and his appointees.”
CNN anchor: “This is so serious, Erin, America is a less free place if late-night comedians can’t do or say what they want. Trump vowed retribution on the campaign trail and he’s getting it against entertainers”
Karah Rucker: AND SOME VOICES HEARD ON RIGHT-LEANING MEDIA – WERE BLAMING KIMMEL’S BAD RATINGS.
Fox anchor: “The reality is that his show sucked. No one watched it, so when he peddles filthy lies, that’s the last straw, not the first.”
“Kimmel who makes 16 million dollars a year who had lower ratings than Stephen Colbert who just got canceled from CBS – this is simply a money loser and bob iger used this as an excuse to finally get rid of him.”
Karah Rucker: THERE’S YOUR NARRATIVES THE POLITICAL MEDIA WANTED YOU SO BADLY TO CONSUME – AND REPEAT – WHEN THEY WEREN’T BASED IN FACT.
AS FAR AS MEDIA BIAS GOES –
THIS ONE IS PRETTY EASY.
BECAUSE BOTH CASES HERE ARE BIAS BY FLAWED LOGIC.
LEFT AND RIGHT MEDIA NARRATIVES ARE JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS –
THAT ARE NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE GIVEN EVIDENCE – AND FACTS.
IT IS TRUE THAT KIMMEL’S RATINGS HAVE FALLEN AT A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL RATE OVER THE PAST DECADE.
GRADUALLY LOSING NEARLY A MILLION VIEWERS FROM 2015 THROUGH COVID.
AND WHEN COMPARED TO THIS YEARS NUMBERS –
KIMMEL’S AVERAGE VIEWERSHIP IS DOWN 37 PERCENT.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE KEY DEMOGRAPHIC –
VIEWERSHIP IS DOWN 72%.
THEY’RE CITING A FACT – AND TYING IT AS SUPPORTING EVIDENCE THAT “THIS IS WHY KIMMEL’S SHOW WAS SUSPENDED.”
BUT NOWHERE DID **ABC SAY THEY MADE THEIR DECISION BASED OFF OF BAD RATINGS.
FLIPPING THE COIN TO THE OTHER SIDE NOW –
LET’S TALK ABOUT WHY IT WAS INACCURATE TO BLAME THE FCC FOR KIMMEL’S INITIAL SUSPENSION.
IT IS TRUE THAT TRUMP DOESN’T LIKE JIMMY KIMMEL –
REALLY NOT A FAN OF MUCH OF LATE NIGHT COMEDY.
Trump: “Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings and they should have fired him a long time ago. He was fired for lack of talent. When you look at these shows, how terrible they are, i could get people off the streets to do better than them.”
Karah Rucker:
AND TRUMP HAS CALLED FOR BROADCAST LICENSES TO BE REVOKED –
SEVERAL TIMES. IN PERSON AND ONLINE.
THE FCC CHAIR BRENDAN CARR – WHO WAS APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP –
WENT ON A PODCAST CALLING FOR ABC TO TAKE ACTION PRIOR TO THE SHOW’S PAUSE.
Brendan Carr: “I mean look, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action frankly on Kimmel or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Karah Rucker: DESPITE BRENDAN CARR SUGGESTING INTERVENTION –
THE FCC – DID NOTHING.
AND ANOTHER FCC OFFICIAL EXPLAINED TO CNN –
THE FCC DIDN’T TAKE ANY SO-CALLED ACTION AGAINST ABC – BECAUSE IT DOESN’T HAVE REGULATORY POWER OVER NETWORKS.
Anna Gomez – FCC: We don’t license the networks. We license local broadcasters. So there is no license to pull from the networks. So no we cannot pull local licenses simply because they air content he does not like.”
Karah Rucker:
MEDIA HEADLINES FROM THE LEFT LIKE THESE –
CREDITING BRENDAN CARR FOR KIMMEL’S TAKEDOWN –
ARE NOT BASED IN FACT.
IT IS AN “UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIM” –
WHICH IS ANOTHER SIMILAR FORM OF MEDIA BIAS.
THIS OCCURS WHEN “Journalists sometimes make claims in their reporting without including evidence to back them up…Statements that appear to be fact, but do not include specific evidence, are a key indication of this type of bias.”
THIS FROM CNN – IS A GREAT EXAMPLE.
BECAUSE IN THEIR HEADLINE – THEY CLAIM CARR “HELPED TAKE DOWN KIMMEL.”
STATING IT AS FACT – BUT NOT PROVIDING EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THAT.
THEY ACTUALLY PROVIDE EVIDENCE THAT WOULD SHOW THE OPPOSITE –
WRITING “While many free speech groups are saying that Carr’s conduct ran afoul of the spirit of the First Amendment, Carr did not violate the letter of the law. That’s because the First Amendment bars government action limiting free speech. And Carr didn’t take any action — he merely, and perhaps ironically, spoke.”
BRENDAN CARR WASN’T THE ONLY VOICE IN OPPOSITION TO KIMMEL ***PRIOR TO ABC SUSPENDING THE SHOW.
NEXSTAR – I USED TO WORK FOR THEM –
THEY’RE A MEDIA COMPANY THAT OWNS OVER 200 LOCAL NEWS STATIONS. MASSIVE.
OF THOSE 200 STATIONS – 28 OF THEM ARE ABC AFFILIATES.
SINCLAIR – ANOTHER LARGE MEDIA COMPANY – OWNS 38 LOCAL ABC AFFILIATES.
THESE TWO MEDIA CONGLOMERATES – CONDEMNED KIMMEL’S WORDS –
AND TOLD ABC THEY WERE PULLING KIMMEL’S SHOW FROM THEIR LOCAL AIRWAVES.
HERE’S WHAT NEXSTAR HAD TO SAY IN PART PRIOR TO THE INITIAL SUSPENSION
Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse…Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest
AND HERE’S PART OF SINCLAIR’S STATEMENT EARLY ON –
Sinclair, the nation’s largest ABC affiliate group, objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel. As discussed with ABC earlier today, Sinclair decided to indefinitely preempt THE PROGRAM.
AND WE NOW KNOW THAT EVEN WITH ABC LIFTING THE SHOW’S SUSPENSION –
SINCLAIR IS NOT REVERSING COURSE.
IN A NEW STATEMENT MONDAY SAYING –
THE SHOW WILL NOT AIR – AND INSTEAD BE REPLACED WITH NEWS PROGRAMMING.
AND THAT DISCUSSIONS WITH ABC ARE ONGOING REGARDING THE SHOW’S **POTENTIAL RETURN.
ABC WAS FACING MARKETPLACE PRESSURE – AND A SHOW BOYCOTT –
FROM TWO OF THE LARGEST MEDIA COMPANIES IN THE U.S. —
AND STILL IS TO SOME EXTENT.
THESE THREATS – ALSO CARRIED FINANCIAL WEIGHT.
BECAUSE BY NEXSTAR AND SINCLAIR PULLING THE PLUG ON AIRING THE SHOW ON THEIR DOZENS OF COMBINED LOCAL T.V. STATIONS –
THE SHOW LOSES A SIGNIFICANT REACH –
WHICH WOULD IMPACT THE **RATINGS EVEN FURTHER – AND THEN ABC WOULD HAVE TO EXPLAIN THAT TO ADVERTISERS – WHICH ARE THE BIG DOLLAR SIGNS FOR MEDIA COMPANIES. (BEAT)
**HOWEVER –– I’M NOT SUGGESTING THE MARKETPLACE PRESSURE MADE ABC PULL THE TRIGGER.
THAT’S JUST ADDITIONAL CONTEXT AND FACTS.
IT’S THE SAME WITH THE “BAD RATINGS” OR “BRENDAN CARR AND TRUMP DID IT” THEORIES OVER THE REASON ABC SUSPENDED THE SHOW. –
THEY’RE NOT BASED IN FACT AS FAR AS WHY ABC DID IT.
BECAUSE FOR DAYS – ABC – DID NOT TELL US WHY.
I HAD EVEN REACHED OUT TO THEIR MEDIA RELATIONS TEAM TO CLARIFY.
BECAUSE I WASN’T GOING TO TELL YOU WHY I **THINK THEY DID IT.
THAT’S NOT JOURNALISM.
AND REALLY – ABC HAD THE POWER TO SHUT DOWN OR CONFIRM ANY OF THESE RUMORS OVER WHY THEY MADE THE DECISION THEY DID.
BUT THEY SAT BACK. UNTIL THEY FINALLY COMMENTED MONDAY.
THAT GAP OF SILENCE –
ALLOWED THE MEDIA TO CONNECT DOTS TO BACK THEIR OWN POLITICAL AGENDAS OVER THE MOTIVE.
YOU WERE BEING TOLD A, B, OR C IS TO BLAME FOR THE SHOW SUSPENSION –
AND YOU MAY EVEN THINK – NO, THIS **IS WHY.
**YOU’RE ALLOWED TO BELIEVE THAT THERE’S A STRONG CASE TO POINT TO ONE REASON OR ANOTHER.
BUT THAT’S NOT THE JOB OF AN IMPARTIAL MEDIA TO CONVINCE YOU ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
TRUTH IS – THE COMPANY SAYS IT WAS OVER WHAT THEY CALLED INSENSITIVE REMARKS. AND IT WAS THEIR DECISION TO PUT A PAUSE ON THE SHOW.
THREE MORE THINGS I WANT TO TRY AND MENTION THAT FEEL RELEVANT TO THE STORY
FIRST – SINCE THE PLUG WAS PULLED – MORE HAS COME OUT OVER WHAT HAPPENED BEHIND THE SCENES.
A SHOW SUSPENSION WASN’T THE INITIAL COURSE OF ACTION BY DISNEY –
BUT RATHER THEY WERE GOING TO GIVE KIMMEL AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS IT AND MAKE THINGS RIGHT.
BUT SHOW SOURCES SAY KIMMEL STOOD HIS GROUND AND REFUSED TO APOLOGIZE FOR HIS COMMENTS – WITH PLANS TO DOUBLE DOWN ON HIS CRITICISM OF MAGA.
BUT – INSTEAD – IT WAS THEN THAT DISNEY AND ABC DECIDED KIMMEL WOULDN’T RESUME THE STAGE – UNTIL THE TEMPERATURE COOLED.
HOWEVER A SHOW SOURCE TOLD CNN THAT DISNEY WAS ALWAYS HOPEFUL FOR A PATH TO BRING KIMMEL’S SHOW BACK – IT WAS MORE SO A MATTER OF WHEN.
AND DISNEY DECIDED HE CAN RESUME HIS SHOW TUESDAY.
OTHER IMPORTANT CONTEXT HERE.
WHILE THERE IS A CLEAR LEFT AND RIGHT MEDIA NARRATIVE AT PLAY –
SOME POLITICIANS ARE GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN.
SOME REPUBLICAN SENATORS ARE EXPRESSING SOME CONCERN –
NOT BLAMING THE FCC CHAIR FOR KIMMEL’S FIRING –
BUT HEEDING WARNING THAT BRENDAN CARR MIGHT SHOULD COOL HIS RHETORIC.
Ted Cruz: What he said there is dangerous as hell.
Rand Paul: A couple of the networks pulled out, thats their right, you can be fired for not being popular also this is television for goodness sake. You have to sell commercials but the government has no business in it and the fcc was wrong for weighing in and i’ll fight any attempt by the govt to get invovled in speech i’ll fight.”
Karah Rucker: AND THERE WERE SOME RIGHT-LEANING MEDIA –
WHO ALSO STRAYED FROM THE RIGHT NARRATIVE.
A LETTER FROM THE EDITORS AT THE FREE PRESS –
SUGGESTED THAT ANY “FCC COERCION UNDERMINES OUR MOST FUNDAMENTAL VALUES.”
YOU HAVE SOME ON THE LEFT ALSO BUCKING THE NARRATIVE –
AND ONCE AGAIN – ASKING FOR A COOL DOWN OF RHETORIC.
John Fetterman: When you hear some democrats say trump is acting like an autocrat.
That’s the thing, if you compare him to an actual autocrat, that is not just that. For example, last night people protesting hitler hitler, you just don’t compare anyone to hitler or to those extreme things. Look at what happened. We have to turn the temperature down.
Karah Rucker: THIS IS PERHAPS A SIGN THAT IT DOESN’T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE LEFT VERSUS RIGHT.
BUT THE TRUTH IS THOSE BREAKING RANKS OF THE LEFT-RIGHT NARRATIVES ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN..
AND THE MEDIA – IS FUELING THOSE PARTISAN FLAMES FURTHER –
BY PROVIDING YOU CONCLUSIONS THAT ARE CONVENIENT FOR THEIR POLITICAL NARRATIVE –
THAT ARE NOT BASED IN FACT – BUT RATHER THEIR OWN BIASED ASSUMPTIONS.
AND IN THE PROCESS – ERODING WHAT LITTLE TRUST THE PARTISAN MEDIA HAS LEFT WITH THE PUBLIC –
BECAUSE THE ASSUMPTIONS WERE WRONG.
AND THAT’S YOUR BIAS BREAKDOWN.
THANK YOU FOR WATCHING ANOTHER EPISODE WITH US.
IF YOU JUST SO HAPPENED TO STUMBLE ACROSS THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE –
THEN FIND US ON OTHER PLATFORMS AND BOOKMARK OUR SHOW SO YOU CAN EASILY FIND FUTURE CONTENT –
AND ALSO CHECK OUT PAST EPISODES THAT ARE STILL RELEVANT IN TODAY’S CLIMATE.
AND THOSE OF YOU WATCHING US ON SPOTIFY – I SEE YOU!
WE HAD THE MOST INTERACTIONS IN THE COMMENT SECTION OVER THERE COMPARED TO ANY OTHER PREVIOUS EPISODE –
SO THANK YOU FOR WATCHING AND CONTRIBUTING TO OUR CONVERSATION.
THIS IS ALREADY A LONG EPISODE I KNOW –
SO IF YOU HAVE TO GO – THEN PLEASE DO IT – AND I’LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!
I APPRECIATE YOU WATCHING!
BUT IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER MINUTE OR SO –
I WANT TO TRY SOMETHING NEW HERE.
IF YOU ARE WATCHING ME NOW – YOU ARE PART OF THIS PODCAST.
IT’S FOR YOU. I KNOW RIGHT NOW I’M TALKING INTO A CAMERA LENS –
BUT THIS ISN’T ABOUT ME OR ME JUST TELLING YOU HOW IT IS.
THIS IS FOR US. I’M LISTENING TO YOU IN ALL COMMENT SECTIONS AFTER THIS PODCAST DROPS JUST AS YOU ARE GIVING ME THE COURTESTY OF LISTENING TO ME NOW.
IT’S A PLATFORM TO OPEN UP AN HONEST AND RESPECTFUL CONVERSATION.
AND I WANT TO ASK YOU SOMETHING.
SOMETHING I DON’T USUALLY DO IS ASK FOR OPINIONS – BECAUSE USUALLY I’M TRYING TO CUT THROUGH THOSE.
BUT I STUMBLED ACROSS THIS OLD SOUNDBYTE WHILE DOING RESEARCH FOR THIS STORY.
IT’S OF JOHNNY CARSON.
Next month would have marked his 100th birthday – and so there’s going to be honorary events being held in his name.
TO BE HONEST WITH YOU – NOT REALLY MY TIME PERIOD – SO I HADN’T EVER HEARD THIS CLIP BEFORE THIS PAST WEEK.
BUT I’M CURIOUS – IF THIS RESONATES. AND IF YOU AGREE WITH THIS POSITION HE TOOK DECADES AGO.
IT’S JUST A SOUNDBYTE THAT I THINK OPENS UP AN INTERESTING TOPIC –
AND I’M JUST CURIOUS IF THAT’S HOW PEOPLE FEEL TODAY ABOUT THE COMEDY THEY’RE CONSUMING.
So let’s chat about it.
A BIG BIG THANK YOU TO IAN KENNEDY AND ALI CALDWELL WHO WORK REALLY HARD ON OUR MAKING THIS VIDEO PRODUCT FOR OUR PODCAST.
AND THANK YOU FOR WATCHING – SEE YA NEXT TIME.
