Interesting Point...

An FTVLive reader sent along a take about the business and I thought I would share their point.

Hey Scott, 

I was reading your reporting on Fox 13 Memphis caving to Republican leaders in taking down their reporting on the federal crackdown. And yes, they absolutely caved. 

It reminded me of another trend I’ve been noticing since the beginning of 2025, the “quiet caving” of station editorials. 

Not all stations do editorials, and there’s debate as to whether they should. A lot of times they seem to exist for ego purposes only. 

But in a time when free speech and a free press are rapidly eroding, press are being assaulted by federal officers, due process is vanishing nationwide, political violence and misinformation campaigns are weekly events, and state media continues rapidly growing… this feels like the moment for which editorials should exist. 

Instead, I’ve seen them disappear entirely from station websites, be hidden from the front pages, or focus entirely on issues guaranteed not to offend advertisers or politicians. 

With the exception of general managers like Andrew Vrees at WCVB in Boston (who’s tackled issues like political violence and government shutdowns) and stations like WJLA in DC airing editorials by Armstrong Williams on crumbling trust in media, editorials as a whole have been toothless. 

Personally, I’d rather see editorials cease completely than be declawed and neutered. If leadership builds themselves a platform to address “the issues”, but is too scared to talk about the ones that matter, the platform should be taken away.

Otherwise, this approach simply normalizes the things happening around us, confirms to viewers that the media won’t stand up for them when it matters, and fulfills the words of Murrow when he said that if broadcast exists to simple “amuse, entertain, and insulate… it is nothing but wires and lights in a box.”

Just a thought… 

Here are a few examples of how they have taken the safe route.