If you haven't been asleep or out of the country the past seven days, you are fully aware of two rather controversial skits performed last Saturday on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."
In one, CNN Democrat debate moderators were depicted, "like nearly everyone in the news media," as being "totally in the tank for Senator Obama." Later, host Tina Fey basically gave a campaign speech for Hillary Clinton.
Videos of these skits began appearing at YouTube almost as soon as they were performed on the East Coast. Apparently for copyright infringement reasons, these unauthorized videos were pulled, sometimes within hours of them being posted.
Yet, as suggested by NewsBusters reader Myron Howard, there appears to be a political element at play for this clip from Saturday's show featuring Republican candidate Mike Huckabee was posted at YouTube on Sunday, and has not been removed:
There are approximately 20,000 videos available at YouTube which include the words "Saturday Night Live" or "SNL" that have not been removed for copyright reasons. To be sure, many of these don't actually include material subject to copyright laws. However, besides the Huckabee segment from last week, many do.
This raises an important question: when does NBC feel the need to enforce copyright rules and pressure YouTube to comply? Is there a political element here, especially given the continued presence of the Huckabee skit from the very same installment as the two popular segments that have been aggressively removed from YouTube?
Consider, for instance, this "SNL" video from last Halloween that is very unflattering to the Clintons, while positively depiciting surprise guest Obama:
It was originally posted at YouTube on December 9, and despite copyright rules, it's still there!
Why? Is NBC only willing to enforce its copyrights on skits that don't reflect its political views? Were NBC top brass offended enough by Fey's positive sentiments toward Hillary, as well as the implication that media are in the tank for Obama, to force YouTube to pull them?
Yet, a skit from last year bashing the Clintons while gushing over Obama is allowed to stay at the video website for almost three months.
Why the selective enforcement of copyrights, NBC?
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.
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That there is a political element to the removals
March 1, 2008 - 14:00 ET by c5thenis clear. The question is, is it NBC demanding that only certain videos be pulled off YouTube because of copyright violations, or is it YouTube themselves pulling them?
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
The only theory I have is
March 1, 2008 - 14:31 ET by balboaThe only theory I have is that NBC wanted to drive traffic to their site to see these two fairly controversial videos.
Of course it did
March 1, 2008 - 14:36 ET by PamNBC pulled it because of the pressure that I am sure was applied to them. We can't make Williams like like a buffoon, can we? He has been pulling for Obama...Look at what a bang up job he did in that one debate where he lead Obama on the correct answers to give to dispel rumors about him...And let's not forget that Russert totally embarrassed NBC by doing his job in the last debate. How dare he ask a question with a follow-up question!
Don't think that that media is out of touch poll didn't have something to do with it as well.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
March 1, 2008 - 14:56 ET by acumenLet the "change" begin...
Lets not forget who owns youtube..
March 1, 2008 - 16:39 ET by upcountrywaterI just happened to be on the youtube site St. Valentines day. The red youtube logo, was transformed into a heart shape.. h/t GOOGLE..
Youtube site uploads 100,000 videos every day, maybe NBC complained, and most SNL things were removed, then they arrive back on site, the next day.
I have an account on youtube, the google take over has degraded the account quite a bit.
Iranian uranium; Iranian ICBM's; Iranian satellites..CHANGE is comming BELIEVE in that!
If these were pulled after
March 1, 2008 - 16:53 ET by bigtimerIf these were pulled after the debate Tues. when Hillary mentioned the skit on SNL during the debate asking if Obama was comfortable and needed another pillow or two, then for me this was done at Obama's behest or NBC behind the scenes supporters...not Clinton and the controversial for some of us Fey endorsement of Clinton.
This would be interesting to know what happened for sure to make this decision....oh to be a fly on the wall at times...
BT
March 1, 2008 - 17:22 ET by Noel SheppardBT,
These were being pulled as early as Sunday. I had to change videos many times on Sunday and Monday to keep active links in my posts. I finally gave up. ns
Noel...Well then that
March 1, 2008 - 17:33 ET by bigtimerNoel...
Well then that leaves for me the deduction that it had to be the Fey rant supporting Hill.
NBC seems to be in the bag for (oops I meant Obama, I had Hill earlier here) anyway does it not...heck Noel the majority of all the networks seem to me to be in the sack for Obama for the most part anymore.
JMHO
Dear Abby
March 1, 2008 - 20:03 ET by shawn228Dear Abby,
My husband is a liar and cheat. He has cheated on me since the beginnng and when I confront him, he denies everything. What worse everyone knows he cheats on me. It is so humiliating. Also since he lost his job seven years ago, he hasn't even looked for a new one. All he does all day is smoke cigars, cruise and bs to his buddies while I work and pay the bills. Since our daughter went off to college he doesn't even pretend to like me, and hints I might even be a lesbian. What shoud I do?
Signed .....Clueless
..............................................
Dear Clueless
Grow up and dump him. Good grief woman, you don't need him anymore! You are a United States Senator who is running for the United States, act like one.
shawn... LOL... But me
March 1, 2008 - 20:08 ET by bigtimershawn...
LOL...
But me does think the clueless one likes the $$$ the jobless guy makes from other countries...
May aide in her campaign some....here and there...
Release those tax records.
Good One Shawn!
March 1, 2008 - 20:13 ET by Free StinkerShawn: 1
Hillary: 0
;-)
Pledge to not support RINOs ever again!
First time for everything
March 1, 2008 - 20:17 ET by shawn228lol fs;-) First time I have every been on the winning side of your scoreboard.
Shawn. ROFLMAO!
March 2, 2008 - 00:51 ET by R D HelmYou pretty much nailed it with this one.
John McCain is a liberal. He said so himself.
RDH
March 2, 2008 - 01:34 ET by shawn228She is so done. I have always been a big Bill fan, but this campaign has shown me he can be vindictive whiner. Go Obama.
Shawn,
March 2, 2008 - 01:44 ET by R D HelmI am going to be hitting the "ripe" old age of 44 in about 27 days. Trust me, the process of learning never really ends.
When I was in my teens, and even into my '20's and '30's, I thought I knew it all. When I hit 40, I finally realized I didn't know squat about much of anything.
As you get older, you, too, will come to see this.
John McCain is a liberal. He said so himself.
OMG your an Aries?
March 2, 2008 - 01:57 ET by shawn228My wife is a Aries. Every Ram I ever met is very stubborn and pigheaded . Not a nice Pisces like me ;-) I will be 37 in a week and a half.
Shawn, LOL
March 2, 2008 - 02:02 ET by R D HelmYeah, and stubborn and pigheaded is how I plan to leave this rock, too. :-)
John McCain is a liberal. He said so himself.
kind of an update
March 2, 2008 - 00:46 ET by candanceI did find this from the Dan Abrams show in which he featured the SNL skit for commentary. It doesn't show the whole skit but enough for viewers to get the point.
Apparently this slipped under the speech police radar.