CBS executives are under fire for what many believe was misrepresented news during a recent interview Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris gave during a “60 Minutes” segment.
Now, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is preparing to launch an investigation into any wrongdoing from the network.
According to a Fox News report, FCC commissioner Nathan Simington said his priority is making sure the public was not misled after an accusation of “significant and intentional news distortion.”
“This complaint might come before the commission for adjudication,” Simington told the outlet.
CBS News has been scrutinized for airing two different answers to the same question in its “60 Minutes” interview last week with Harris.
Footage of Harris was aired by CBS’ “Face the Nation” to promote the “60 Minutes” sit-down, when Bill Whitaker asked why it seemed like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t listening to the U.S.
Harris’ lengthy answer didn’t make the version that aired on Monday night on “60 Minutes.”
A shorter Harris answer to the same question was shown instead.
According to the report, the Center for American Rights, also known as CAR, argued that the discrepancies “amount to deliberate news distortion — a violation of FCC rules governing broadcasters’ public interest obligations” and formally complained to the FCC on Wednesday.
When it comes to television broadcasting rights, the FCC’s view is that the airwaves are a “public trust” and any broadcasting over those airwaves is an exclusion of other parties from broadcasting over those airwaves on that frequency, so the government has a “heightened interest in the content of speech” when it occupies the airwaves that others cannot.
According to the report, the licensee named in the complaint is WCBS TV in New York, which is not an “affiliate,” but actually owned and operated by CBS Corporation. FCC insiders believe the complaint was filed against WCBS because it is owned by CBS itself, whereas other CBS affiliates across America may not have been aware of any intentional distortion if it occurred.
“The reason that we care about news distortion at all at the FCC and the reason that we’re willing to explore this possibility, even conceptually, given the strong First Amendment protections for broadcasters’ speech, is precisely because of this concern that we don’t want the public to be misled,” Simington said.
The process could land CBS in minor trouble, although it’s unlikely the network will be punished, according to industry experts.