There was a time when CBS - especially CBS News - was the premier network: "The Tiffany Network." Recently, CBS has kowtowed to Trump by settling a baseless lawsuit, gutting 60 Minutes and now firing Stephen Colbert who has consistently derided Trump. (It is interesting that Colbert will stay on the air for months, now free to say whatever the hell he feels.)
As disturbing as this truly is about how elite media sees itself in Trumpistan, I do wonder if this even matters. The problem with controlling CBS or the Washington Post or other venues is that media has become so diffuse that shutting down Colbert will only free him to migrate online. Conan O'Brien has been phenomenally successful after he was fired for no good reason, except making the suits uncomfortable.
The fracturing of media has been bad for our sense of shared national narrative. There is no Walter Cronkite to arbitrate the news for us. However, that fracturing also places it largely outside the control of a malevolent force like MAGA.
At least, I hope so.
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