Political ridicule can be throttled without explicit bans by citing 'financial,' 'technical,' or 'organizational' reasons. Russia’s Kukly was smothered after Gazprom took NTV under 'business' rationales; in 2025, Kimmel’s suspension and Colbert’s end are justified by advertisers, affiliates, and streaming economics. The tactic contracts cultural space while preserving plausible deniability.
— It reframes speech‑freedom threats as market‑bureaucratic maneuvers rather than overt censorship, urging new safeguards where private governance can mute public satire.
Ted Gioia
2025.09.20
86% relevant
The article spotlights Jimmy Kimmel’s indefinite suspension and CBS abandoning late night while citing 'you can’t make it work economically,' fitting the pattern where controversial speech is curtailed under financial or operational pretexts rather than explicit bans.
Mike Smeltzer
2025.09.20
100% relevant
Kukly’s Kremlin pressure and NTV takeover vs. Jimmy Kimmel’s advertiser/affiliate pullback and Stephen Colbert’s 'financial' cancellation.
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