Five former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioners issued a stinging rebuke to current Chairman Brendan Carr, calling on him to close an inquiry into 60 Minutes that they called “antithetical to the First Amendment.”
The investigation, which the commissioners added was “an extraordinary departure from the Commission’s historical practice and precedent” came after President Donald Trump, during the 2024 campaign, accused CBS’s flagship news program of deceptively editing an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris to make her look better.
The letter, filed to the FCC today, was signed by a bipartisan group of former leaders, including both a Republican and Democratic former chair. Protect Democracy, a non-profit, filed the comments on behalf of the commissioners, serving as the group’s counsel.
The group consists of former FCC Chairs Alfred Sikes (R) and Tom Wheeler (D), and Commissioners Rachelle Chong (R), Ervin S. Duggan (D), and Gloria Tristani (D).
FCC commissioners note ‘acute danger’
In the letter, they said that the FCC has long acted neutrally toward media.
“The Commission historically has been steadfast in its commitment to acting as an
independent agency, respecting the free speech rights of broadcasters, and disclaiming any role in censoring the news media,” they wrote. It also noted that the commission normally never acts on accusations of “news distortion.”
“The Commission has expressly declined to enforce the policy in cases that merely take issue with a broadcaster’s editorial judgment, recognizing the acute danger of allowing a government agency to second-guess journalistic decision,” they wrote.
Carr’s launched the inquiry after being elevated to the top role by Trump, who is also suing the network. In his suit, Trump argues that 60 Minutes deceptively edited Harris’ comments on immigration to make her sound more coherent, falsely portraying her take on one of the election’s most divisive issues.
The investigation also comes at a time when Paramount, which owns CBS, is seeking FCC approval for a merger, complicating matters.
The FCC this week rejected CBS’s bid to dismiss the inquiry into 60 Minutes.
“We’re not close in my view to the position of dismissing that complaint at this point,” Carr told Reuters.
But that’s exactly what the former leaders are asking Carr to do, warning that his actions violate the FCC’s stated independence, noting the investigation is clearly coming on behalf of Trump.
“By reopening this complaint, the Commission is signaling to broadcasters that it will indeed act at the behest of the White House by closely scrutinizing the content of news coverage and threatening the regulatory licenses of broadcasters whose news outlets produce coverage that does not pass muster in the President’s view,” they wrote. “We recommend the Commission reverse course, closing this proceeding without further action.”
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