This is the govt threatening the parent company. How do you deny this when they've said it so plainly?
Carr, whom Trump had nominated as FCC chair, told right-wing commentator Benny Johnson earlier Wednesday that Kimmel’s comments were “truly sick,” and said there was a “strong case” for action against ABC and Disney.
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr told Johnson. “These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
“They have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest,” Carr said.
The FCC in March told Disney and ABC that it was launching an investigation of the companies’ efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, known as DEI.
Also the topic of whistleblowrs in public institutions and government monitoring of journalists (which i do disagree with) are entirely different categories from the issue in the op
It’s the government actively censoring someone, which is even a step further than you asked. The previous administration pressured multiple social media companies to censor "dissident" voices.
ABC is just getting rid of costly dead weight, they weren’t forced. Maybe in the future they will follow the obligations they agreed to in order to keep their license.