Stephen Colbert Hands CBS Bosses Their Asses AGAIN, With An Assist From James Talarico
The article links CBS’s decision to what it describes as Trump’s broader efforts against critical television programs.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYWonkette is an opinion-first publisher, and this piece is openly written as commentary rather than straight reporting. The author is named, but the article relies heavily on partisan framing and does not present responses from the organizations it criticizes.
- Source type — Opinion publisher; this article is explicitly commentary.
- Editorial standards — The article's highly partisan tone and limited presentation of opposing perspectives constrain confidence in its reporting.
- Author attribution — A named author is identified.
The article includes direct quotations and specific claims, but much of its argument is polemical, CBS's account is not fully represented, and several broader claims receive little independent substantiation.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article briefly recounts CBS's equal-time explanation but rejects it and mainly presents arguments critical of CBS and Trump, with no substantial response from the parties criticized.
- Counterarguments presented — CBS's stated equal-time rationale appears, but no fuller explanation or response is included.
- Loaded language — The piece uses frequent insults and profanity against people and organizations it criticizes.
- Source diversity — Quoted perspectives largely support the article's criticism; opposing voices are absent.
The piece uses strongly anti-Trump and anti-CBS language, presents the dispute from a critical perspective, and offers little countervailing argument.
- Language tone — Repeated insults and profanity convey strong hostility toward Trump, CBS leaders and conservative figures.
- Framing — The article casts CBS's decision as capitulation to Trump-aligned pressure.
- Source selection — It relies on Colbert, a departing producer's criticism and the author's commentary, without a substantive defense from CBS.
Wonkette says CBS lawyers stopped Stephen Colbert from broadcasting an interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico over the FCC’s equal-time rule; Colbert later posted it online. The opinion piece argues that pressure on CBS reflects a broader effort to constrain criticism of President Trump. Need citations array only.
The article reports that CBS lawyers told Stephen Colbert he could not broadcast an interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, citing the FCC’s equal-time rule. Colbert also said he was told not to discuss the decision on air. He posted the interview online, where the article said it had received more than two million views at the time of writing.
Wonkette argues that CBS’s decision reflects pressure tied to President Trump and criticizes changes at CBS News under its new ownership. It also cites a CBS producer’s letter alleging that stories were being judged against shifting ideological expectations. The article does not include a response from CBS to those criticisms.
Community verdict
8 VOTES- Readers of left-leaning coverage: 57% good look
- Readers of right-leaning coverage: not enough votes yet
People in this story
SWIPE →President criticized over alleged pressure on television programs
Texas state representative and Senate candidate interviewed by Colbert
Talarico's version of this story ↗Former presidential candidate mentioned as a comparison in the discussion of equal time
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