The speech police came for Colbert | The Vergecast

Quick Overview

Stephen Colbert canceled an interview with James Telerico due to legal guidance from CBS lawyers fearing FCC equal time rule violations stemming from FCC Chair Brendan Carr's recent letter suggesting reconsideration of the talk show exception, which Colbert characterized as the chilling effect in action, leading to the interview being moved to YouTube where it gained 5 million views.

Key Points: Stephen Colbert's planned interview with Texas Senate candidate James Telerico was pulled from broadcast because CBS lawyers feared triggering the FCC equal time rule after FCC Chair Brendan Carr announced he was considering ending the exception for talk shows. Colbert stated the decision was for "purely financial reasons," but the hosts argued it exemplified the chilling effect, where the mere threat of regulation stops speech, noting the equal time rule has largely gone unenforced for years regarding broadcast television. The pulled interview gained 5 million views on the Late Show YouTube channel, demonstrating the "Streisand effect" where attempting to suppress content drives massive attention to it. CBS released a statement claiming they did not prohibit the broadcast but provided legal guidance, offering options for fulfilling equal time requirements, which Colbert read while crumbling the paper and placing it in a dog poop bag. The Vergecast hosts criticized CBS for immediately caving to Carr's non-binding letter without a formal rulemaking process, calling it a "pure moral failure" and noting CBS refused to put their communications SVP's name on their official statement when requested by The Verge. The discussion shifted to Meta planning to launch facial recognition, called 'Name Tag,' on Ray-Ban glasses, with internal memos suggesting a cynical launch timing to avoid scrutiny while civil society groups like the ACLU and EFF immediately vowed to fight it. The hosts expressed concern that Meta's push for name/face recognition in glasses confirms they understand the social costs but are proceeding anyway, especially as Mark Zuckerberg reportedly favors turning off the recording light, which they see as an attempt to mask surveillance.