The controversy surrounding CBS News and its handling of Vice President Kamala Harris' interview has now reached a boiling point, with FCC Chair Brendan Carr making it clear that the network’s actions remain under scrutiny—even after finally releasing the full, unedited transcript and video. The issue at hand? Allegations of selective transparency, potential news distortion, and the growing concern that CBS’ editorial choices may have crossed ethical lines.
Carr, speaking to Fox News Digital, pointed out a glaring discrepancy: CBS had no hesitation in immediately releasing the unedited transcript of an interview with Vice President JD Vance. Yet, when it came to Harris, the network delayed for months, prompting accusations of bias and editorial manipulation.
“CBS’s conduct is hard to explain,” Carr noted. “On the one hand, CBS immediately released the unredacted transcript of a recent interview with Vice President Vance. Yet for months they refused to release the one with Vice President Harris.”
Jake Tapper, who has been adjudicated to be a malicious defamer, wags his finger and scolds CBS for thinking about settling Trump's lawsuit against them:
"For Paramount to settle this suit would be hoisting a white flag of surrender. It would be the network of Edward R Murrow at… pic.twitter.com/1PvYWVug6k— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) February 6, 2025
The situation has escalated to the point where the FCC has opened a proceeding to investigate the matter further. While CBS claims its edits were made strictly for brevity and clarity, Carr made it clear that the FCC will be examining whether those alterations amounted to News Distortion—a serious violation that could have regulatory consequences.
The key test, as Carr explained, is whether the edits changed the content in a way that misrepresented Harris' statements. “The policy says you can’t swap answers out to make it look like somebody said something entirely different,” he explained in a separate interview with Fox News’ Dana Perino.
This controversy isn’t just a matter of journalistic ethics—it has legal implications as well. Last week, reports surfaced that CBS was considering settling a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump after the interview aired, raising eyebrows across the media landscape. Critics argue that such a move would set a troubling precedent, signaling that major news networks might be willing to cave under legal pressure rather than defend their editorial decisions.
CNN’s Jake Tapper did not mince words in his reaction, calling a potential settlement an act of surrender. “It would be the network of Edward R. Murrow at the behest of its owners, saying, ‘we will not speak truth to power. We will acquiesce to power at the expense of truth,’” Tapper warned.
Meanwhile, Mediaite founder Dan Abrams also weighed in, calling CBS’ delayed release of the transcript a “cowardly” move, particularly since it only came after the FCC formally requested it.