A conservative watchdog filed a formal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission that accuses CBS of distortion for airing edited answers from Vice President Kamala Harris’ interview on “60 Minutes.”
The Center for American Rights (CAR), a nonprofit law firm, demanded the FCC order WCBS-TV — the network’s New York City station — to release the full, unedited “60 Minutes” interview transcript.
“This isn’t just about one interview or one network,” said CAR president Daniel Suhr.
“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. When broadcasters manipulate interviews and distort reality, it undermines democracy itself. The FCC must act swiftly to restore public confidence in our news media.”
The Tiffany Network has faced a flood of backlash for airing an edited version of Harris’ answer about US relations with Israel on Oct. 7 after broadcasting her “word salad” reply to the same question during a promo for the upcoming special on CBS’ “Face the Nation” the day before.
In her answer to a question by Bill Whitaker that aired Sunday on “Face the Nation,” 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.”
During the prime-time broadcast of “60 Minutes” the next night, Harris’ answer was cleaned up: “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.”
CBS has maintained that the answer was to the same question from Whitaker but that was edited for time constraints.
But Suhr dismissed the excuse.
“CBS crosses a line when its production reaches the point of so transforming an interviewee’s answer that it is a fundamentally different answer,” the filing said.
Harris’ campaign has since fought to distance itself from the network’s editing controversy.
News distortion “must involve a significant event and not merely a minor or incidental aspect of the news report” to be considered a policy violation, according to the FCC.
CAR argued that CBS’ editing of Harris’ interview fit those violation requirements.
“The question is incredibly consequential – U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East in the middle of a war – and the timing is also significant: weeks before a presidential election, and with a candidate who has sat for very few news interviews,” the filing said.
Suhr, who worked as a policy director for former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker – launched CAR last year with fellow attorney Pat Hughes.
The Center’s mission is to advance free speech, free enterprise and parental freedom in education through strategic, precedent-setting litigation, according to Suhr’s bio as a contributor for The Federalist Society.
Hughes and Suhr currently represent some Columbia University students in a lawsuit against anti-Israel demonstrators who organized the school’s pro-Palestinian encampments.