TVBizwire
CNET Owner CBS Corp. Pulls One of CNET's Best of Consumer Electronics Show Awards. Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, Cries 'Censorship' NY Post
CBS Corp, which owns the respected tech website CNET, stepped in at the last minute to prevent one of the prestigious CNET Best of CES Awards to be presented, reports The New York Post.
Just before Dish was set to receive an award at the giant Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for its Hopper DVR device, CBS Corp. stepped in to stop the award from being presented, The Post reports.
The Hopper allows viewers to skip through commercials in programs that they record.
According to the story, "Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Electronics Association, which produces CES, told The Post he hopes CBS will reconsider. 'We are extremely disappointed that CBS has interfered with CNET’s Best of CES Awards,' he said. 'Due to a pending lawsuit, CNET parent CBS is practicing censorship.'
"CBS Interactive [the division of CBS Corp. under which CNET resides] said in response that 'The Dish Hopper with Sling was removed from consideration due to active litigation involving our parent company CBS Corp. We will no longer be reviewing products manufactured by companies with which we are in litigation with respect to such product.'
"A Dish spokesman told The Post, 'It’s a shame. It’s reflective of CBS’s lack of acceptance of what the consumer wants.'"
Comments 6
John
You can tell how clueless CBS was about this and tech in general... in that they obviously did not stop to consider that (at the very least) ABC and NBC might consider this sort of action to be news worthy.
I haven't watched any network news show for the past few days to know if it's been reported on, but I do know that's been all over the internet for the past couple of days.
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skeptical observer
How does CBS make their money? Through ads. This device allows consumers to skip ads. Why would they want to give kudos to a product that 1. Causes them to lose money and 2. They are suing. While I might not like what they did, I understand why they did it.
tooteaching
What about journalistic freedom? CNET is a technology NEWS site. When the suits upstairs can cancel a story simply because it disagrees with a corporate agenda, it compromises the First Amendment. Some may argue that this type of news is less important to society at large. However, if the corporate big wigs can do it to CNET, they can do it to the hard news people and CBS too.
60 Minutes and CBS Evening News watch out!
Bill
I wonder what happens if CBS enters any litigation with the Federal Government? Does CBS News become about cooking tips?
Disinterested Reader
Giving awards is NOT journalism.
tooteaching
Disinterested Reader: You are wrong!
The story said that "We will no longer be reviewing products manufactured by companies with which we are in litigation with respect to such product." Reviews are NEWS stories and therefore journalism. But telling CNET what they can and cannot review CBS is practicing censorship.
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