Hulu, NBC Pull SNL Skit (UPDATED)
But Political Skits Bringing in Huge Numbers
A clip poking fun at the bailout, and specifically, at former Golden West Financial Group co-chiefs Herb and Marion Sandler, has been taken down from NBC.com and Hulu.com sometime on Monday, leaving many speculating as to why. A good guess: The clip, a fake C-SPAN news report, identifies the Sandlers, who sold their Golden West Financial S&L to Wachovia in 2006 as "People who should be shot" in a graphic. The video is still available on YouTube, at least for now.
We asked NBC and Hulu for comment on the video, and will update when they get back to us. In the meantime, Hulu is breaking new ground tonight when it streams the second head-to-head debate between Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain live as it happens. It's the first time Hulu has tried a live stream of an event. As NewTeeVee points out, Hulu joins a long list of sites streaming the debate live, including MySpace, Current, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, CBS, ABC and C-SPAN.
UPDATE: According to Nikki Finke, "The network claimed: 'Upon review, we caught certain elements in the sketch that didn't meet our standards. We took it down and made some minor changes and it will be back online soon.' Specifically, NBC said it has edited out the chyron on-screen text, 'People who should be shot' that appeared beneath the Sandler' lookalikes, as well as the 'allegations of corruption' made against the couple."
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Youtube.com reads: This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by NBC Universal
Kathleen Parker and Jack Cafferty are the only members of the media with the courage and strength to be honest and hold their ground.
I am very disappointed with NBC. Just goes to show you how powerful wall street really can be when it comes to making the government and media do what they demand. The modern day mafia.
If people can't make light of serious situations in a time when Time magazine is printing pictures of "The Great Depression" on their cover (when the public needs it most), then what do we stand for? What are we fighting for? We need to make light of these situations to relieve the pressure and prevent panic. Listen to the Dalai Lama.
Is it freedom of Press and Speech unless you hurt "Big Brother's" feelings??? NOT COOL. NBC and HULU should not be bullied into compromising the rights our forefathers fought to provide us and our troops fight to keep!
Even in the First Amendment context, by the way, "fighting words" are subject to government regulation to some extent. Putting pictures of individuals on a screen with the suggestion that they be shot is probably, at least prima facie, within the ambit of "fighting words."
As to the YouTube takedown, that's just plain copyright law. The First Amendment does not give anyone blanket permission to publish someone else's creative works in whole except under very unusual circumstances. Why a copyright holder chooses to permit or not permit another to use a work is entirely his choice -- more of that "freedom" stuff! ;-)
I am sure NBC legal had a fit at the potential liability.
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