On July 21, 2023, the Dunning-Kruger Times published an article positing that country singer Blake Shelton had backed out of a lucrative project with CMT because the network refused to play a music video by Jason Aldean:
Blake Shelton Cancels $30 Million Project With CMT: "Jason Is My Friend"
Country Music Television (CMT) is still paying the price for canceling Jason Aldean's video "Try That In a Small Town." In what may be the most crushing blow yet, country megastar Blake Shelton has announced that he's backing out of a $30 million project with the network.
"Jason is my friend," said Shelton, "He deserves better than the disrespect shown to him by CMT."
This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a website, the Dunning-Kruger Times, that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:
Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical.
Another article published a day later by Dunning-Kruger Times falsely stated that Hank Williams Jr. had resigned from CMT's board of directors to show support for Aldean.
According to The New York Times, CMT stopped airing the "Try That in a Small Town" video without explanation on July 18 after objections were raised to its content.
For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.