Plus: Ars Technica apologizes for AI-fabricated quotes; YouTube quickly responds to outage.
On Monday, Stephen Colbert told viewers of “The Late Show” that an interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico would not air on CBS.
Colbert said the issue involved the “equal time” rule, which is overseen by the FCC. The rule generally requires broadcasters to offer similar airtime to opposing candidates in a race and is something President Donald Trump has been pushing to restore.
CBS, which is owned by Paramount Global, said the company said it did not block the interview for political reasons.
“The Late Show was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico,” the network said. “The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett [D-Texas], and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled.”
The situation has raised eyebrows, especially given the broader business goals. Paramount has been exploring the potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a move that would face regulatory review.
During Tuesday’s show, Colbert, whose contract was not extended and whose show will end in May, rebutted CBS’ claims, noting that there’s been “a very famous exception to” the equal time rule, “and that exception included talk shows, interviews with politicians,” CNBC reports.
He went on to say the network’s legal team told him what language to use to describe the FCC rule and he did.
“I’m just so surprised that this giant global corporation would not stand up to these bullies,” Colbert said.
Colbert ultimately posted the interview online instead. It has more than 5 million views.
This has led some to wonder whether Paramount is being extra cautious around anything that could draw scrutiny from regulators or political figures.
Why it matters: This is a tricky situation with a lot of variables at play.
When a high-profile employee publicly frames a decision one way while leadership explains it another, it opens the door to added scrutiny, mistrust and reputational harm.
Colbert has essentially already been let go, so he has nothing to lose by speaking candidly. CBS remains steadfast that the decision was about regulation and stuck to that script.
What CBS failed to do in their explanation is protect public trust.
Their statement focused on process. Legal guidelines. It did not strongly reinforce editorial independence. It did not lean into values language about free expression or transparency.
Saying something complies with federal law does not automatically reassure audiences who are worried about political pressure or censorship. Compliance language protects the company. It doesn’t always do much to persuade the public.
Even if both statements are technically accurate, the conflicting accounts can mean there’s internal conflict or hidden tension. Even if there’s not, the perception is there, which is a problem.
Editor’s Top Reads:
- Ars Technica pulled one of its own articles after it was discovered that the story included fabricated quotes generated by an AI tool. The article, which was ironically about AI-generated content, mistakenly presented the made-up quotes as real. According to a report from 404 Media, the issue came to light after readers flagged that the quoted comments could not be found anywhere else. Ars Technica removed the story and acknowledged the mistake publicly, calling it a serious breakdown in its editorial standards and apologizing to readers and the person who was falsely quoted. “That is a serious failure of our standards. Direct quotations must always reflect what a source actually said,” said Ken Fisher, Ars Technica’s editor-in-chief. “That this happened at Ars is especially distressing. We have covered the risks of overreliance on AI tools for years, and our written policy reflects those concerns. In this case, fabricated quotations were published in a manner inconsistent with that policy.” The outlet handled the mishap quickly and directly, with full ownership and without being defensive. There was no attempt to minimize the issue or blame a technical error. The response framed the mistake as a standards failure. Ars’ tone showed remorse. There may still be some reputational damage here, but audiences are more likely to forgive organizations that admit wrongdoings, apologize and say how they’ll fix it in the future.
- Zohran Mamdani is using social media to address New Yorkers’ most critical concerns, bringing them into the process with an influencer’s approach to governing. In one video he shared, Mamdani addressed how he’d be supporting the community through a winter storm. In another that has more than 1.7 million views, he took a light-hearted approach to announce that the city was hiring lifeguards. The New York Times reports that “In interviews with more than a dozen people of various ages and backgrounds, many said the videos were inescapable, making it seem like the mayor’s voice is part of their daily routines.” There’s something to be said about a leader who’s highly visible. It helps build credibility but also makes leaders seem approachable and trustworthy. Mamdani is also reaching many audiences, not just finding favor with younger crowds, which shows that thoughtful content can engage multiple age groups and communities. Executives or spokespeople who maintain a consistent, authentic presence are also more likely to have greater impact, which in Mamdani’s case, is working well so far.
- YouTube experienced a widespread outage last night, with nearly 1 million U.S. users reporting problems on DownDetector around 8 p.m. Within the hour, YouTube acknowledged the disruption on X, reassuring users that they weren’t alone and sharing a link for real-time updates. The company later clarified that the issue involved its recommendation system and said teams were actively working on a fix. Just after 10 p.m., YouTube posted a final update confirming the platform had been restored: “Aaaand we’re back!! This issue has been fixed across YouTube. Thanks for all the reports and for bearing with us while we sorted it out.” The response was a strong example of clear, timely crisis communication. YouTube acknowledged the issue early, used plain language and provided a steady stream of updates so users knew what was happening. The company then shared where it was in the process and confirmed when service was fully restored. By communicating quickly and transparently, YouTube helped manage that frustration and showed how speed and clarity can ease minds.
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
The post The Scoop: CBS leans into policy language after Stephen Colbert strikes back appeared first on PR Daily.
