Boycotting May Be A Good Start But It Is Not Enough

It is safe to say that we are not living in normal times. The last few months of news coming out of the world of media production has proven that politics have invaded and corroded the supposedly independent institutions that are meant to serve as a check on those in power. Specifically, we have seen that one of the largest news and media organizations in the country has engaged in behavior that appears to be brazen corruption.

In the last seven months, Paramount has donated $16 million to Trump's presidential library to settle a legally dubious lawsuit, taken a more hands-on approach with 60 Minutes to make sure that coverage is in-line with what Paramount wants, announced the end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert despite its substantial lead over the competition in similar shows, and has allegedly also agreed to give free airtime to ads and PSAs in line with Trump's agenda (Paramount has denied this claim). Beyond this, Paramount owns CBS which has given airtime to shows like Blue Bloods, NCIS, and the family of FBI shows. In the fall, these shows will account for the majority of CBS's prime time lineup when they amount to, at best, propaganda, at worst, the normalization of organizations that have been weaponized against the enemies of the president.

Putting all this together in an environment where Paramount is seeking regulatory approval to be acquired by Skydance, it is hard to find a charitable explanation for why this is happening. The Federal Trade Commission would need to approve the merger which, in normal times, would be a formality to make sure that any changes in the business structures do not harm the American people. In this administration, this normal process has become politicized, especially when we are dealing with a media organization that generates billions of dollars in the business of shaping public opinion.

So what can be done about this? In a world where Disney has, in recent years, bought out smaller companies (and has already settled a meritless lawsuit similarly) and Warner Brothers has signaled itself open to acquisition, this is a dangerous media landscape for an autocrat to assume power. Fortunately, at the end of the day, the viewer still has the power. There are a few things on an individual level that can be done.

Cancel your Paramount+ subscription

Stop going to see Paramount-produced movies in theaters or PVOD

Don't stream CBS content on other streaming services

Don't watch NFL games on CBS in the fall.

Boycott advertisers who advertise on CBS

Now, because of the way Nielsen works to aggregate ratings, simply not watching CBS won't work because, unless you're a Nielsen household, your viewing habits are not aggregated into the viewership figures. You'll have to do things that more directly affect them. For example, don't see The Naked Gun in two weeks, or Roofman, or The Running Man, or Regretting You in a theater. If you still have a Paramount+ account, cancel it and don't watch shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

There is something else that should be done that goes beyond what the individual can do. Any time we cover a movie or show on this site or on Beware of Spoilers, we are functionally providing free marketing for whatever the media is. Yes, we are serving a legitimate journalistic interest by discussing what's going on, either during the production or what the final product's quality is but it is with the understanding that we are serving as effectively a marketing arm for the movie.

The issue we grapple with is whether or not we are serving a legitimate journalistic interest by spending time legitimizing an organization that is clearly willing to sell out American ideals to streamline a merger deal. On this site and on Beware of Spoilers, we will no longer cover films and shows released by Paramount or its subsidiaries and I call on other sites to do the same. If you are a small website or a small podcast and you get to call the shots about what goes live on your feeds, consider not covering these shows and movies as well because, while it may seem symbolic, the article or episode may be the reason why someone out there decides to go. Ask yourself this, if this organization came to you and said they wanted to advertise on your channel, would you let them? For me, the answer was no, so we will no longer be covering them.

We started Thirty Minute Reviews ten years ago in August and one of the prevailing principles over the last decade has been that we treat ourselves as the string quartet on the deck of the Titanic as it sinks. That ends now.

Just a suggestion for anyone who decides to cancel their Paramount+ subscription as I have: select "Other" and say you did it because of the company's alignment with this administration over American values and consider going to pbs.org and donating to your local PBS station in the amount of your monthly subscription.