A CBS spokesperson rushed to the defense of the network’s censorship apparatus, giving statements to industry trade publications like Variety and Deadline, claiming that CBS Studios had actually financed and secretly produced the public-access episode in collaboration with Monroe Community Media. “As is our regular practice, we send copyright notices to unauthorized websites that post copyrighted content from CBS and our network/studio talent,” the spokesperson asserted, insisting the copyright enforcement was simply routine intellectual-property protection.

But that explanation raised more questions than it answered. Nothing in the broadcast identified CBS or Paramount as producers. There was no corporate copyright message at the end of the hour; instead, an independent, Chicago-based studio was listed as the production company. Colbert also spent much of the episode openly mocking Paramount and CBS in ways that strongly suggested they were not exactly thrilled with the project. So viewers were understandably skeptical that the corporation had lovingly funded an anti-corporate guerrilla comedy special only to immediately suppress its circulation online.

After a backlash erupted, CBS quickly retreated, announcing it would “waive further enforcement” pending additional review.

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[–] Etterra@discuss.online 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Because he's a malignant narcissist. In his head he's the center of the world and nothing else matters. And being a TV personality himself, ratings are the ultimate expression of that, because if eyes are on him instead of anyone else, then it justifies his own narcissism in a feedback loop. Anything that threatens that is a threat that he's psychologically incapable of accepting, and he gets engaged. How he's got dementia and is untouchable, so the filter is long gone, so he lashes out publicly about it. He cares because he has to, because cognitive substance is unbearable, and the reality of someone being popular who also challenges his delusions is something he literally cannot stand. Trump is a maladaptive excuse of a human being and he can't ever admit to being anything but the best, most important person in the world, and being president of the US is the ultimate concrete expression of that in his head.

[–] vrek@programming.dev 3 points 1 day ago

Yes I agree with you. I was pointing out the hypocrisy in his statement.