4 ms·

This isn't "ironic" or a "creative solution", this is straight up censorship. Wow. China has basically made it known they will go after a company's employees.

This isn't "ironic" or a "creative solution", this is straight up censorship. Wow. China has basically made it known they will go after a company's employees. I'm sure that CBS is very concerned about general access to the Chinese market and don't want their shows banned for purely economic reasons, but the subtle threat of their Chinese employees disappearing because of a cartoon is a real thing. Let's say this was my decision, pretend I'm a director or VP at CBS and I need to make the call about this cartoon, and whether the threat against my subordinates in country - or myself on my next business trip - is real. After Fan Bingbing's disappearance last year, I would take this very seriously and I'm not sure I would make a different call. That's censorship, full stop. I'm not sure what CBS alone can do about this - they're a single company against a sovereign nation. Not to let them off the hook, but I really feel the U.S. government has to step up here.

Wowfunhappy 7y ago
From the New Yorker article on this: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/cbs-censors-the-good-fight-for-a-musical-short-about-china https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/cbs-censors-t... > Stanley Rosen, a professor of political science at the University of Southern California who also teaches courses on Chinese film, expressed doubt that airing such a cartoon would have exposed CBS employees to risk, although, he added, that might depend on whether network executives were seen as personally responsible for the segment.
babypuncher 7y ago
I'm going to call BS on CBS' excuse that the Chinese government would actually harm CBS employees in China over the companies production of content that isn't available in China.
- helloindia 7y ago
  China did make Hongkong Bookstore owners disappear(some of them disappeared while visiting China), because they were selling books(banned in mainland china) in Hongkong. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/03/magazine/the-case-of-hong-kongs-missing-booksellers.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/03/magazine/the-case-of-hong...

Wowfunhappy 7y ago

From the New Yorker article on this: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/cbs-censors-the-good-fight-for-a-musical-short-about-china https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/cbs-censors-t... > Stanley Rosen, a professor of political science at the University of Southern California who also teaches courses on Chinese film, expressed doubt that airing such a cartoon would have exposed CBS employees to risk, although, he added, that might depend on whether network executives were seen as personally responsible for the segment.

babypuncher 7y ago

I'm going to call BS on CBS' excuse that the Chinese government would actually harm CBS employees in China over the companies production of content that isn't available in China.

helloindia 7y ago
China did make Hongkong Bookstore owners disappear(some of them disappeared while visiting China), because they were selling books(banned in mainland china) in Hongkong. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/03/magazine/the-case-of-hong-kongs-missing-booksellers.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/03/magazine/the-case-of-hong...