Jacobin contributor: Calls for NBC not to air Trump townhall won’t succeed in ‘deplatforming’ the president | TheHill – The Hill

Philosophy professor and liberal magazine Jacobin contributor Ben Burgis said Thursday that calls for NBC not to air President TrumpDonald John TrumpLatest Mnuchin-Pelosi call produces 'encouraging news on testing' for stimulus package China warns it will detain American nationals following DOJ prosecution of Chinese scholars: report Musician John Fogerty issues cease and desist over Trump use of 'Fortunate Son' MOREs townhall Thursday evening were not an effective strategy to deplatform the president, adding that Trump already has the biggest megaphone.

Burgis explained onHill.TVs Rising that while some people responded to NBCs announcement of the townhall by complaining that viewers would have to choose between it and ABCs townhall with Democratic presidential nominee Joe BidenJoe BidenConservatives seize on New York Post story to push Section 230 reform Trump wishes Harris 'the best' after aide tests positive for COVID-19 Pennsylvania rejects 372K mail-in ballot applications following primary confusion: report MORE, NBC staffers interviewed by the Daily Beast saidthe network should not be giving Trump a platform at all.

It almost seems like a hear no evil, see no evil thing, like that theyre going to get people to not go along with whatever Trump is saying... that theyre going to just not give him the platform in the first place, which this seems like a really extreme version of that attempt of kind of forcing a media bubble, Burgis explained.

It almost seems like this cant be the strategy to get people to not buy what hes saying or not go along with what hes saying, to just say, oh, well well just deny him the megaphone, that seems like a really bankrupt way of doing that, he added.

Its just not going to work hes the president of the United States, he continued. You cant make him go away by deplatforming him.

Thursday morning, more than 100 Hollywood stars signed onto an open letter to NBC and Comcast executives asking them to run Trumps townhall either prior to or after Bidens so that American voters can have the opportunity to watch both.

However, NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde stood by the decision to air the townhall at the same time as ABCs, writing in a statement that if NBC were to move our town hall with President Trump to a later timeslot we would be violating our commitment to offer both campaigns access to the same audience and the same forum.

Watch more of the interview above.

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Jacobin contributor: Calls for NBC not to air Trump townhall won't succeed in 'deplatforming' the president | TheHill - The Hill