FCC seeks public input on Harris 60 Minutes interview

The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday released the full video and transcript of a CBS News interview with then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. The FCC asked the public to weigh in on whether or not CBS News distorted Harris’ remarks. CBS News has denied any wrongdoing.

What do the transcript, and the full video show? According to both the video and the transcript, Harris provided one, long answer to a question from CBS News Interviewer Bill Whitaker. The question pertained to discussions between U.S. officials and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. For a broadcast on its Face the Nation show, CBS used the first part of her answer. On a later broadcast of its show the 60 Minutes, CBS used the second part of her answer.

Why is the commission doing this? The Center for American Rights filed a complaint with the FCC claiming that CBS News distorted the news last fall by airing what appeared to be conflicting answers to the same question on two separate shows in two days. CBS News on Sunday, Oct. 5, in its show Face the Nation, aired a clip of Harris providing one answer to a question the interviewer, Bill Whitaker, asked about U.S. officials’ discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

And then in an episode of 60 Minutes that aired the next day, Harris appeared to answer the same question differently. The Center for American Rights accused CBS of dishonestly editing the interview. The center claimed that, as a result, CBS deprived viewers of any certainty about what Harris thought.

How has CBS News responded? CBS in a Jan. 31 statement said it would comply with the FCC’s demands while calling the Center for American Rights a conservative law firm. It also noted that separately from the FCC complaint, President Donald Trump sued the network in October claiming that the interview put him at a disadvantage. In an October statement, CBS said it strives to be accurate when editing any interview, and that the two clips were different parts of the same answer.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Stew about how Democrats have found themselves adrift after the results of the 2024 presidential election.