SNL’s second thoughts
Why did NBC.com edit a sketch lampooning Democrats over the mortgage mess?
Try arguing that NBC isn’t an “outlet for the Democrats” now, said Erick Erickson in the RedState blog. The network pulled a "Saturday Night Live" skit lampooning Democrats for blocking oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The clip is back (click here for the NBC video), but in a version edited to be more palatable to liberals.
Now, now, said Jay Tea at the WhizBang blog. The only real change in the edited version was the removal of a caption saying “people who should be shot” that originally appeared under two people playing Democratic boosters Herbert and Marion Sandler, who made a bundle off of subprime mortgages. The skit “went overboard,” and it had to be fixed.
“No matter how much poor taste was evident in the skit,” said Sophia Banay in Portfolio online, “we can't help wondering what kind of precedent the removal sets.” If the Sandlers, who are fuming over depictions of them as predatory lenders, can rattle NBC into making an Internet purge, “let’s hope no one tells Sarah Palin.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Taps could run dry in drought-stricken TehranUnder the Radar President warns that unless rationing eases water crisis, citizens may have to evacuate the capital
-
Alaska faces earth-shaking loss as seismic monitoring stations shutterIN THE SPOTLIGHT NOAA cuts have left the western seaboard without a crucial resource to measure, understand and predict tsunamis
-
10 great advent calendars for everyone (including the dog)The Week Recommends Countdown with cocktails, jams and Legos