CBS News provided a response to the FCC after the outlet was confronted with a demand to turn over their infamous “60 Minutes” interview with the now-former vice president.
Mere weeks before the presidential election, CBS News had triggered a legal dispute with now-President Donald Trump over their favorable editing of an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Amid reports suggesting potential for a settlement could be on the horizon, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr called for both the full, unedited transcript along with all footage from all angles filmed by “60 Minutes.”
“We are working to comply with that inquiry as we are legally compelled to do,” came a statement from CBS News reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Prior to Election Day, Trump had filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the corporate media outlet, alleging that the interview had been deceptively edited to the benefit of Harris’ campaign.
As Trump himself had argued during a “Fox & Friends Weekend” appearance, “She gave an answer that was so bad and so incompetent that they decided to take the answer out in its entirety and put a new answer in.”
PRESIDENT TRUMP: “She gave an answer that was so bad and so incompetent that they decided to take the answer out in its entirety and put a new answer in… and 60 Minutes is part of the news organization of CBS… So on behalf of the people, we sued 60 Minutes.” pic.twitter.com/25JJWyARHz
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 2, 2024
A preview of the interview showed Harris responding differently on the topic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from what was ultimately aired. In response to the initial allegations from Trump of “deceitful editing,” CBS News had said in a statement, “That is false.”
“60 Minutes gave an excerpt of our interview to Face the Nation that used a longer section of her answer than that on 60 Minutes,” continued their claim. “Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response. When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate, and on point.”
Now, the Paramount-owned company was said to be seeking a way to resolve the lawsuit as it sought approval from the FCC to complete its sale to David Ellison’s Skydance.
“A settlement would be an extraordinary concession by a major U.S. media company to a sitting president, especially in a case in which there is no evidence that the network got facts wrong or damaged the plaintiff’s reputation,” reported The New York Times.
On that matter, the Associated Press noted, “The network has not commented on talks about a potential settlement, reported by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. Paramount executives are seeking Trump administration approval of a sale of the company to another entertainment firm, Skydance.”
Speaking with the LA Times, seemingly without having seen the unedited transcript of the Harris interview, outrage naturally ensued about the potential of Trump winning another settlement on the heels of ABC News bringing an end to the defamation case brought by the president over George Stephanopoulos’ repeated claim that the GOP leader had been found “liable for rape.”
“It is a sad day,” said First Amendment attorney Floyd Abrams. “It’s heart-breaking that CBS…seems ready to pay big bucks for its own editing decisions.”
Similarly, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism professor Gabrial Kahn contended, “This is an act of pure cowardice for short-term gain that corrupts every journalistic value imaginable.”
In addition to CBS News, Carr had also ordered an investigation of NPR and PBS over concerns that their “broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials.”
“In particular,” he said in a letter to the respective executives of the outlets, “it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.”
Both outlets rejected the notion.
- USAID staffer reveals moment DOGE arrived the team scrambled to hide pride flags and incriminating materials - February 5, 2025
- Trump gets blamed when NFL won’t display ‘END RACISM’ in Super Bowl end zones: ‘Trump soils everything’ - February 5, 2025
- Jasmine Crockett goes full ghetto as Dem lawmakers threaten Trump, Musk at crazed rally - February 5, 2025
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.