(Joshua Paladino, Headline USA) Fearing financial blowback, Podcast Movement apologized to Daily Wire Founder and host Ben Shapiro for claiming that his presence at its Dallas conference on Aug. 25 made people “feel unsafe,”
Cumulus Media, a major broadcasting company, announced its plan of “disassociating” from Podcast Movement due to its intolerance for a conservative’s “mere presence” and its illiberal stance on free association and speech, Legal Insurrection reported.
Cumulus said Podcast Movement had “sufficient time” to “appropriately address” its denunciation of Shapiro but failed to correct its error, so the broadcasting company decided to cancel its “2023 sponsorship plans” and severe all other ties.
The broadcasting company said Podcast Movement’s submission to the Leftist mob left it “dismayed and disappointed.”
“At Cumulus Media, our tenet is that Every Voice Matters and we support conferences and trade events where differing political viewpoints can be expressed and received with respect,” the company said in a statement.
After Cumulus decided to defend its “partner” and “top podcaster,” Podcast Movement apologized in a tweet on Sept. 8.
As we stated, we’re continuing to evaluate our policies guiding social media & events with inclusivity, diversity & respect for all. We have to start by sincerely apologizing to Mr. Shapiro for our reaction when he visited a booth we sold his company. That wasn’t right. https://t.co/McxG9Ay0LT
— Podcast Movement (@PodcastMovement) September 8, 2022
Daily Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing said that Cumulus Media taught conservatives a lesson about returning fire in the culture war.
“In an illiberal moment such as the one we’re currently living in, if we don’t stand up to this kind of bigoted behavior it’s only going to get worse,” Boreing said. “I certainly hope Cumulus’s strong response to Podcast Movement is the first of many others like it.”
