According to President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to chair the Federal Communications Commission, CBS' refusal to release the full transcript of the “60 Minutes'' interview with Vice President Kamala Harris is due to a dispute between Paramount Global and Skydance. The deal may be factored into the government's consideration of the merger proposal.
The FCC gives broadcast networks “free access to the airwaves, a valuable public resource,” as long as they “serve the public interest,” Brendan Kerr previously told Fox News host Dana. -Told Mr. Perino. The Daily Beast reported.
Kerr added that accusations by conservative watchdog groups accusing CBS' “60 Minutes'' of distorting news could influence the station's decision on the Skydance-Paramount merger.
“We believe that allegations of news distortion surrounding the 60 Minutes recording are likely to arise in the context of the FCC's review of the transaction,” he said.
Kerr, Paramount and Skydance did not respond to requests for comment.
On Sunday, President Trump selected Carr, currently the top Republican at the FCC, to head the agency, calling him a “free speech fighter.” Trump first appointed Kerr to the FCC in 2017, during his first term as president.
Last month, Kerr criticized CBS for its stubborn refusal to release the “60 Minutes” recordings. Earlier this week, he posted on He spoke of the “privileges” given to public media, vowed to “force” the media to act in the “public interest” and threatened to revoke some broadcasting licenses.
CBS came under fire last month for airing a meandering and awkward interview with Harris during a preview of the network's “Face the Nation,” and then airing an edited version of her answers during an entire episode of “60 Minutes.” received criticism.
President Trump has accused Tiffany Network of misconduct and demanded that CBS release the full transcript of the interview. Carr also called on the network to release the records.
Last month, the network refused to release the transcript, defending its editorial decision and claiming that her answers were cut down to fit more content into a short 21-minute segment.
“60 Minutes posted an excerpt of an interview with Face the Nation that used a longer answer section than 60 Minutes. Same question. Same answer,” the network said. “But there were different parts of the response.”
CBS did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
Later, the Center for American Rights, a nonprofit law firm that supports conservative issues, filed a formal complaint with the FCC, accusing CBS of distorting the news.
“When broadcasters manipulate interviews and distort reality, they undermine democracy itself,” Central African Party President Daniel Soule said in a statement in October. “The FCC must act quickly to restore public trust in our nation's news media.”
Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the network, accusing it of “deceptively” editing Harris' answers before the election to increase her chances of victory.
The FCC complaint and Trump's lawsuit are both pending.
Kerr's comments that allegations of news distortion would be taken into consideration when considering a merger between Skydance and Paramount came as Trump's opponents fear political retaliation.
“Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski are ardent opponents of President Trump and have expressed concern that they could face legal and government hurdles from the incoming administration. Out of concern, he flew to Mar-a-Lago last week to meet with the president-elect. CNN reported Based on anonymous sources.
A spokesperson for MSNBC did not respond to a request for comment.
An X journalist accused Carr of “threatening to harass NBC and CBS over the MAGA conspiracy theory” during an interview on Fox.
Mr Carr responded in a post to X: “Just to make it simple, I am not a candidate. I am already confirmed until 2029. Therefore, all I need to become Chairman is a letter nomination from the President. Enjoy!”
