The Federal Communications Commission is likely to take a close look at a distortion complaint filed against CBS over its editing of an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.Brendan Carr, who will be FCC chairman when President Trump is sworn into office in January, said on Fox News’ America’s Newsroom Tuesday that the complaint is “likely to arise” as the FCC reviews Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS.“Broadcasters are differently situated than other speakers. They get free access to a valuable public resource — the airways — and they’re licensed by the FCC, and the exchange for that is they serve the public interest. I think it’s important that we take another look at that and we reinvigorate it,” Carr said. “There’s also a news distortion complaint at the FCC having to do with CBS, and CBS has a transaction before the FCC, and I’m pretty confident that that news distortion complaint over the CBS 60 Minutes transcript is something that’s likely to arise in the context of the FCC’s review of that transaction.”60 Minutes conducted an interview with Harris in October about a month before the election. However viewers noticed that Harris delivered different answers to the same question in a preview video meant to promote the interview than she did in the final segment.CBS said that it used a different portion from the same answer in the final cut, adding that “the portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide ranging 21-minute-long segment.”The Center for American Rights went on to file a complaint with the FCC under its news distortion policy, though the Commission has rarely taken action under that policy.Carr also argued that NBC violated the FCC’s equal time rule when it hosted Harris for a sketch on Saturday Night Live the weekend before the election. NBC ended up giving President Trump equal time during a NASCAR race and on Sunday Night Football following the appearance. According to FCC filings, the network also gave time to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during an SNL primetime special on the following Monday night, as well as an episode of The Voice.He also called for other presidential candidates to bring complaint to the FCC if they felt that they were not given equal time.In the Fox News interview, Carr also suggested that when he becomes FCC chair, he will take on big tech companies and challenge legacy media companies.“I think the status quo, particularly when it comes to legacy media, needs to change,” Carr said, adding that “tech censorship” is his number one priority.“Free speech is the bedrock of our democracy, and there’s been this unprecedented surge in censorship over the last couple of years, and we need to restore Americans First Amendment rights,” Carr said.
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