Following online controversy surrounding how CBS handled the “60 Minutes” interview between Bill Whitaker and Vice President Harris, namely an incident in which CBS allegedly edited what was originally a vague, rambly response by VP Harris and replaced it with her giving a more polished answer, an FCC commissioner suggested that a legal action is reasonable.
In the incident at issue, Whitaker asked, as shown by the teaser trailer for the episode, “But it seems that Prime Minister Netanyahu is not listening.” In response, Harris said, “Well Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region…” Continuing, she kept rambling and said, “We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.”
That response, however, was edited and replaced with a more coherent, polished, and less vague response when the ep, drawing online criticism. In the shorter response, the one that aired, Whitaker asked, “Does the U.S. have no sway over Prime Minister Netanyahu?” Harris told him, “The work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles.”
Former President Trump was, as might be expected, furious, and he sounded off on CBS in response, saying, “A giant Fake News Scam by CBS & 60 Minutes. Her REAL ANSWER WAS CRAZY, OR DUMB, so they actually REPLACED it with another answer in order to save her or, at least, make her look better.” Continuing, he said that the network should lose its license over the edit, saying, “A FAKE NEWS SCAM, which is totally illegal. TAKE AWAY THE CBS LICENSE. Election Interference. She is a Moron, and the Fake News Media wants to hide that fact. An UNPRECEDENTED SCANDAL!!! The Dems got them to do this and should be forced to concede the Election? WOW!”
Then, a complaint was filed against the network and might be taken seriously. In fact, FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington told the Daily Caller that the complaint filed with the FCC by the Center for American Rights (CAR) against WCBS, CBS’ New York subsidiary, is not frivolous, as many complaints the FCC receives are, and should be investigated fully.
In a statement to the Daily Caller, Simington first explained that the FCC doesn’t regulate media speech regarding coverage of a candidate or a station’s editorial discretion. He said, “The FCC does not regulate, or really even respond to, allegations of politically unfavorable coverage or legitimate editorial discretion.”
Continuing, however, he explained to the Daily Caller that this issue is different, as it raises the issue of whether the interview was intentionally distorted. He said, “The recent complaint regarding WCBS-TV raises a fully different set of issues regarding whether or not coverage was intentionally distorted: reporting that something was said in response to a question that literally was not. I don’t know whether that’s true, but it’s a different issue.”
The CAR complaint provides, “CBS crosses a line when its production reaches the point of so transforming an interviewee’s answer that it is a fundamentally different answer. This, CBS may not do.” It continued, “Here, CBS has taken a single question and transformed Harris’ answer such the general public no longer has any confidence as to what the Vice President actually said in response to the query.”
Additionally, Daniel Suhr, CAR president, told the Daily Caller, “This isn’t just about one interview or one network. This is about the public’s trust in the media on critical issues of national security and international relations during one of the most consequential elections of our time.” He continued, “When broadcasters manipulate interviews and distort reality, it undermines democracy itself. The FCC must act swiftly to restore public confidence in our news media.”
Watch the clip at issue here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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