Feb 7, 2025 Story by: Editor
WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wednesday made public the full transcript and video of CBS News’ “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris as part of its ongoing investigation.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr announced that the agency is seeking public input on issues raised in a complaint alleging that the interview violated the FCC’s “news distortion” rules. Paramount’s (PARA.O) CBS, which submitted the unredacted video and transcript to the FCC this week, has also made them available on its website.
CBS stated on Wednesday that the transcripts “show – consistent with 60 Minutes’ repeated assurances to the public – that the 60 Minutes broadcast was not doctored or deceitful.”
Carr, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump last week, said the commission had reinstated the complaint regarding the interview.
“CBS played the same question on two different programs and clearly the words of the answers were very different,” Carr said earlier this week. “Was it edited for clarity and length – which would be fine – or are there other reasons?”
CBS responded by explaining that a longer portion of the vice president’s response was aired on “Face the Nation,” while a shorter version was shown on “60 Minutes.” The network maintained that “each excerpt reflects the substance of the vice president’s answer.”
Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez dismissed concerns over the interview, stating, “The transcript and footage of this interview provide no evidence that CBS and its affiliated broadcast stations violated FCC rules…. The FCC should now move to dismiss this fishing expedition to avoid further politicizing our enforcement actions.”
In October, Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS, arguing that the Harris interview was “misleading.” He also petitioned the FCC to compel CBS to release the transcript.
Last week, The New York Times reported that Paramount representatives were in discussions to settle the lawsuit. Meanwhile, Paramount is seeking FCC approval for an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.
The FCC is currently examining whether the broadcast violated “news distortion” regulations. While the agency is barred from censoring or infringing on First Amendment rights, it does prohibit intentional distortion of news content by broadcasters.
Additionally, the FCC reinstated complaints last week concerning Walt Disney’s (DIS.N) ABC News moderation of the pre-election debate between then-President Joe Biden and Trump, as well as a complaint regarding Comcast-owned (CCZ.N) NBC allowing Harris to appear on “Saturday Night Live” before the election.
As an independent federal agency, the FCC issues eight-year licenses to individual broadcast stations, rather than networks. Source: Reuters
