The Colbert Blackout Story Is Real. HuffPost's Framing of It Isn't.
HuffPost put "petty" in its headline — attributed to no one. It also skipped $40M in annual losses and 3,639 Trump jokes. We fill the gaps.
MisleadingHuffPost reported a real event sourced to a credible reporter. The blackout happened. The directive is documented. But the piece makes three specific choices that mislead readers: it puts "petty" in its headline attributed to no one; it describes Colbert's attack on Dokoupil as something fans "likely didn't view as unprovoked" without examining whether CBS News had legitimate grounds for grievance; and it presents the cancellation as almost certainly politically motivated while dismissing the documented financial case in a single subordinate clause. Each choice serves one narrative and forecloses the other.