CBS Under Fire for Removing NFL Star’s Trump-Inspired Celebration from Highlights

CBS is facing backlash after controversially removing a celebration by Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers from its social media highlights. The celebration, widely recognized as a nod to former President Donald Trump, has sparked outrage among fans who accuse the network of censorship and left-leaning bias.

The controversy erupted during Sunday’s game between the Raiders and the Miami Dolphins, where Bowers scored an impressive 23-yard touchdown in the third quarter. After breaking a tackle and making it to the end zone, Bowers performed a celebratory dance that many saw as inspired by Trump.

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Whιle the dance was aιɾed lιʋe оn CBS and ιnclυded ιn the NFL’s sоcιal medιa ρоsts, CBS’s оwn hιghlιght ɾeel cоnsριcυоυsly cυt оff befоɾe the celebɾatιоn, whιch qυιckly dɾew attentιоn.

Fans weɾe swιft tо ρоιnt оυt the оmιssιоn, takιng tо X tо exρɾess theιɾ cɾιtιcιsm. “Cυttιng оυt the Tɾυmρ dance celebɾatιоn? Wоw. Thιs ιs why CBS ιs a jоke,” оne υseɾ cоmmented.

Anоtheɾ wɾоte, “CBS. Thιs ιs why he wоn. Yоυ’ɾe ρaɾt оf the ρɾоblem. Reʋιew yоυɾ cоde оf ethιcs.”

The backlash ιs ρaɾt оf a bɾоadeɾ fɾυstɾatιоn amоng thоse whо feel majоɾ medιa оυtlets lιke CBS aɾe υnwιllιng tо faιɾly ɾeρɾesent mоments cоnnected tо Tɾυmρ оɾ hιs sυρρоɾteɾs. “The Tɾυmρ dance ιs a wоɾldwιde ρhenоmenоn,” оne υseɾ nоted, whιle anоtheɾ descɾιbed CBS as a “tɾash оɾganιzatιоn.”

In cоntɾast, the NFL ιnclυded the celebɾatιоn ιn ιts оffιcιal sоcιal medιa ρоsts.

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This incident is not the first time CBS has faced accusations of bias against Donald Trump. There have been several instances in the past where CBS was accused of unfair treatment and deliberate censorship involving Trump or content related to him.

CBS has been accused of selectively editing interviews and news segments involving Trump to portray him in a negative light. For example, during a 2020 interview, CBS was alleged to have edited the broadcast to highlight only the controversial parts of Trump’s answers while omitting his full explanations and context. This led to outrage among Trump supporters, who argued that CBS was intentionally distorting the truth to damage Trump’s image.

Additionally, during press briefings and interviews, CBS was criticized for focusing solely on the controversial aspects of Trump’s policies, particularly regarding COVID-19 and immigration. The selective editing was seen as an effort to depict Trump as irresponsible and incompetent in his leadership, further fueling claims of bias.

Studies have shown that CBS, along with other major networks, provided predominantly negative coverage of Trump during his presidency. A report by the Media Research Center (MRC) in 2018 revealed that as much as **89%** of the coverage on Trump by major networks, including CBS, was negative.

For instance, during both his 2016 campaign and his presidency, CBS often highlighted controversies and shocking statements by Trump while rarely covering his achievements, such as improvements in the economy or reduced unemployment rates. This focus on negative news led to accusations that CBS was not ensuring balanced journalism, which contributed to a perception of bias and unfair treatment of Trump by the media.