CBS accused of ‘significant and intentional news distortion’ in FCC complaint over ’60 Minutes’ edit

CBS News has been accused of “significant and intentional news distortion” in a formal complaint the Center for American Rights filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wednesday. 

CBS News has taken heat in recent days for airing two different answers to the same question in its “60 Minutes” interview last week with Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris was mocked by conservatives when footage of her offering a lengthy “word salad” 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 United States. 

However, the vice president’s lengthy answer didn’t make the version that aired on Monday night on “60 Minutes” and a shorter, more focused answer to the same question was shown instead.

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.”

The complaint insisted CBS release the unedited transcript of the interview to set the record straight, which echoes calls from former President Trump and many others. 

“This isn’t just about one interview or one network,” CAR president Daniel Suhr said in a statement. 

“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,” Suhr 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.”