Trump-appointed Federal Communications Chair Brendan Carr is taking on Comcast and NBCUniversal on DEI. They might be the most aggressive DEI pusher among national media companies. It's not just a bias in their hiring, but in their "news" product, like their supportive interviews with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
In his letter to Comcast chairman Brian Roberts, Carr noted that Comcast promotes DEI as "a core value of our business" online and public reports state that the company has an entire "DEI infrastructure" that includes annual "DEI day[s]," "DEI training for company leaders" and other similar initiatives.
Last year, Comcast touted a $1 billion commitment to a "Digital Equity Local Voices Lab" that "supports coverage of Black and LGBTQ+ topics in the media and supports emerging journalists with a passion for reporting on issues of importance to these communities."
In 2022, SeniorExecutive.com touted Comcast and interviewed their chief diversity officer Loren Hudson. The website gushed for Comcast, "diversifying its workforce is not enough. Comcast has an extensive infrastructure to support an inclusive culture. The telecommunications company has nine employee resource groups, coaches for leaders, a speaker series, a DEI day, mentorship programs and more."
Hudson touted: "We’ve started providing our leaders diversity, equity and inclusion coaches that specifically had this specialty, and it’s a safe space." Not only that, "an enhancement was launched on Comcast’s business card ordering site, adding an optional field for a person to select their pronouns. This addition to the business card selection process helps ensure that all employees can craft a business card that reflects their authentic self, inclusive of their pronouns."
The New York Times lined up the Carr critics in Benjamin Mullin's report:
Tom Wheeler, a former chairman of the F.C.C. [ahem, appointed by Obama], said in an interview that the recent investigations by the agency fit into a pattern of using the commission’s power to further Mr. Trump’s political agenda.
“It’s clear that what is going on here is — whether it be Comcast and D.E.I. or NPR and PBS, or CBS and the ‘60 Minutes’ interview — is how can you use the coercive authority of regulation to accomplish the goals of your master and mentor, Donald Trump?” Mr. Wheeler said.
Anna Gomez, a Democratic commissioner on the F.C.C., said in a statement in response to Mr. Carr’s investigation into Comcast that the commission should not stoke “partisan culture wars.”
Excuse me, but DEI itself is a partisan culture war. And Tom Wheeler drove the "net neutrality" train for his master, Barack Obama.
We all know there is no "diversity" of ideology allowing conservative voices, no "inclusion" for people who oppose DEI ideology.
"President Trump is leading America away from the scourge of invidious DEI discrimination and ensuring that everyone in this country has a fair shot at succeeding. Discriminatory DEI programs cannot be squared with this country’s civil rights laws and following President Trump’s leadership the FCC will ensure that every company we regulate ends illegal DEI programs," Carr told Brian Flood of Fox News Digital.
