60 Minutes apparently isn’t the only show facing heightened internal scrutiny as its parent company Paramount seeks to win approval for its merger with Skydance from the Trump-controlled FCC.
As Max Tani reports for Semafor, Paramount brass pumped the brakes on a new Daily Show-branded civic participation initiative just before its scheduled launch last week out of concern that the partner organizations on the project might prove to be controversial.
The project, dubbed “Take a Seat,” had apparently been in the works for months, with the goal of encouraging people to run for local office by connecting them with organizations that could provide them with tools and resources to mount a political campaign.
The company’s partners on the project were the nonpartisan New Politics Leadership Academy, and two organizations on opposite sides of the political spectrum: the left-leaning group Run For Something, and the right-leaning Women’s Public Leadership Network
As Tani reports, Paramount ended up delaying the project at the eleventh hour after it determined that partnering with partisan organizations would carry “too much risk” as the company seeks to win approval for its merger.
Paramount apparently hasn’t scuttled the project entirely. Semafor reports that while “Take a Seat” has parted ways with its original partner organizations, the project is targeting a new launch date later this month in partnership with HeadCount.
HeadCount, as we’ve reported, has a long history of working with late-night shows (including The Daily Show) to promote voter registration. In the case, the organization will reportedly help direct prospective candidates find open political positions in their local area.
Trump must go.