It’s quite possible that Disney, in an effort to not be further targeted in political battles, wants to avoid controversy by restricting what ads can be placed on the streaming service Hulu, which the company bought in 2019. It’s also possible that the Democrats were trying to run ads that were so misleading that even Hulu — which has had its share of woke, but not entirely successful, content — couldn’t bring itself to run them.
To be honest, it really doesn’t matter. Regardless of the reason why Hulu won’t run the ads, the Democrats are furious that Hulu has declined to run several of them in the run-up to the November midterms.
BREAKING: @HuluOur ads calling out GOP attacks against abortion access and gun safety were REJECTED by the company. Their corrupt policies amounts to outlandish political censorship.
Americans have a right to the truth and Hulu cannot block this. https://t.co/xEfpgASoBU
— Senate Democrats (@dscc) July 25, 2022
Here’s what the Washington PostReporting:
The Disney-backed streaming service Hulu is refusing to run political ads on central themes of Democratic midterm campaigns, including abortion and guns, prompting fury from the party’s candidates and leaders.
Popular among young voters, the streaming service is not subject to the Communications Act of 1934. This law requires that broadcast television networks provide equal access to airwaves to politicians.
By the way, I fully expect the Democrats to try and change that last bit, and I’ll explain why in a moment. Let’s get back to the main point.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Governors Association tried to purchase joint ads on abortion and guns with Hulu on July 15, along with identical placements on a Disney-affiliated ABC affiliate in Philadelphia and the company’s cable sports channel ESPN. Hulu’s ads were not shown, but the other ones did.
“Hulu’s censorship of the truth is outrageous, offensive, and another step down a dangerous path for our country,” the executive directors of the three committees, Christie Roberts, Tim Persico and Noam Lee, said in a statement provided to The Washington Post. “Voters have the right to know the facts about MAGA Republicans’ agenda on issues like abortion — and Hulu is doing a huge disservice to the American people by blocking voters from learning the truth about the GOP record or denying these issues from even being discussed.”
The voters absolutely have a right to know, and the problem for the Democrats is that the voters they really need to reach aren’t watching them spew talking points on live TV anymore.
The Democrats have realized something: There’s probably no chance that they’ll get swing voters, moderates, and certain demographic groups back at this point. Hulu has made Joe Biden mad. This is why he’s making an executive climate war his current policy.
At this point, it’s all about getting your most reliable supporters out to the polls. Many climate change voters would not have gone to the polls if Biden did nothing to address climate change. If the Democrats weren’t trying to codify Roe, Obergefell, and others into law so they can say they’re protecting “reproductive health,” those voters would stay home. In the weeks and months ahead, they will try to get discouraged black voters out to the polls.
They have to attract young voters.
The young voter is probably the least reliable voter. The 18-25-year-old voter is more likely to have inconsistent voting habits, even though they are generally more progressive than the rest of the population. Their school and college lives often make it difficult for them to get out there and vote. The Democrats want to encourage those voters and to try to reduce the negative effects of their policies on the turnout.
The problem is that those young voters don’t watch live TV, where political ads will be dominating broadcasts for the rest of the summer and through the fall. Democrats seek to reach young voters by using streaming services that allow for advertising.
Hulu ranks among the top streaming services. YouTube lets you place political ads. Hulu also allowed political ads in the past. But Hulu is, for whatever reason, heavily moderating the ads they’re running. For their ads to be published on Hulu, one politician had to modify it. But if they can’t try to scare young voters into going to the polls through Hulu ads, then they’re losing a platform they desperately need.
This will likely lead to more screeching. Hulu may also be subject to executive or legislative pressure. Because remember: It’s not censorship if a platform blocks content, unless that content is approved by your side.
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