I don't know what happened with r/programming (I couldn't find the mod channel), but I just took it private, assuming the other mods just forgot about it.
Then again, it's spez's subreddit, so maybe he wants it public (in which case he can just flip it back).
Could you please update the message to "This subreddit is temporarily private as part of a joint protest to Reddit's recent API changes, which breaks third-party apps and moderation tools, effectively forcing users to use the official Reddit app." to raise awareness for the reason you took it private? That would be really helpful!
Hm, I don't see where I can set that, sadly. I don't see a customizable message when I visit the subreddit incognito, either, just a "this is private".
Given that nobody has reverted the change, I assume they'd just forgotten to do it in the first place.
Relatedly, I tried checking my comment history on reddit now, and most of its missing (out of a few hundreds (or maybe thousands of comments) there's like ... 15 left.
So, my guess is that there's more blowing up with reddit right now than just the blackout.
Then again, it's spez's subreddit, so maybe he wants it public (in which case he can just flip it back).