Filed reply comments with the Federal Communications Commission reaffirming the First Amendment right of broadcasters to employ editorial discretion in their reporting and editing operations. The comments came in response to a complaint filed with the FCC alleging that CBS Broadcasting Inc. had engaged in “news distortion” in its editing of an interview with presidential candidate Kamala Harris that aired on Face the Nation and 60 Minutes in October 2024. The complaint against CBS relied on the FCC’s narrowly drawn and seldom-used “news distortion” policy, which the Commission generally has refrained from applying to routine editing decisions. The Media Institute strongly urged the Commission to dismiss the present complaint “and future complaints of its ilk that are little more than thinly veiled attempts at media intimidation.” [2025]
