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. 

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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."

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The complaint, which has been obtained by Fox News Digital, cites long-standing FCC precedent that broadcasters "may not engage in intentional falsification or suppression of news" and urged the FCC to "direct CBS to release the complete transcript." 

"The need for the Commission’s action is strengthened by CBS’s refusal thus far to release the transcript, which it has done in similar interviews in the past," the complaint said. 

CBS News did not immediately respond when asked about the CAR complaint. 

The ordeal began when CBS teased the Harris interview earlier this month on "Face the Nation." 

"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," Harris responded to Whitaker in the "Face the Nation" version.  

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When CBS aired the interview the following night, it showed a different answer to the exact same question.

"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," Harris said. 

The Harris campaign has distanced itself from the notion that it asked for the answers to be swapped and directed questions to CBS. 

CBS News has not offered an on-the-record explanation or responded to requests to release the unedited video. 

The Center for American Rights describes itself as a "nonprofit, public interest law firm dedicated to protecting Americans’ most fundamental, constitutional rights," according to its website.