CBS News’ “Face the Nation” will no longer edit taped interviews after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem complained about how her remarks were cut in her last appearance on the Washington-based program.
The news division said Friday that the Sunday show moderated by Margaret Brennan will present only interviews live or “live to tape” in which no edits are made. Exceptions will be made when classified national security information is inadvertently stated or language is used that violates Federal Communications Commission broadcast standards.
“In response to audience feedback over the past week, we have implemented a new policy for greater transparency in our interviews,” a CBS News representative said in a statement. “This extra measure means the television audience will see the full, unedited interview on CBS and we will continue our practice of posting full transcripts and the unedited video online.”
The representative declined to comment on the reason for the policy change beyond the statement.
But the timing makes it clear that CBS News is reacting to Noem’s complaints following her Sunday appearance in which she discussed the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man wrongly deported to his native El Salvador. He was returned to the U.S., where he faces deportation efforts.
The complaints from Noem and the White House led George Cheeks, president and chief executive of CBS, and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski to come up with the new policy, according to a person familiar with the discussions who was not authorized to comment.
Noem wrote on X that “CBS shamefully edited the interview to whitewash the truth about this MS-13 gang member and the threat he poses to American public safety.”
The Trump administration has accused Abrego Garcia of being a member of MS-13, which he has denied. A court has described the evidence of his connection as “insufficient.” Trump in April posed in the Oval Office with a digitally altered photo of Abrego Garcia’s tattoos as purported evidence of affiliation with the gang.
The policy change regarding live interviews will probably be seen as another capitulation to the Trump administration, which has shown a willingness to use legal measures to punish or attempt to silence critics in the media.
It will also pose a challenge to “Face the Nation” producers who already operate in an environment where real-time fact-checking can’t always keep up with the misinformation presented by guests on the program.
“It’s a bad thing for the American public and a bad thing for journalism,” said Mark Lukasiewicz, dean of the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University. “CBS News appears to be surrendering a significant editorial decision in the face of pressure of the administration. Editing an interview is a decision for the newsroom.”
The comments cut from the “Face the Nation” appearance were potentially defamatory. Noem said that Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13 and that he solicited nude photos from minors.
“Even his fellow human traffickers told him to knock it off, he was so sick in what he was doing and how he was treating small children,” Noem said in the unedited version of the interview she posted on X.
The unsubstantiated claim that Abrego Garcia solicited nude photos from minors came from one of the alleged co-conspirators in a federal human smuggling case against him. Abrego Garcia denies the charge and has pleaded not guilty to the charges of illegally bringing people into the country, which stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee.
“Face the Nation,” which has been on the air since 1954, became the focal point in a legal battle between CBS News and President Trump last year. Trump sued CBS News for $20 billion, claiming the program deceptively edited a “60 Minutes” interview with his 2024 opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Face the Nation” ran a clip from the interview that differed from what appeared in the “60 Minutes” broadcast, which led Trump to claim that her response to a question about Israel was edited to aid Harris and damage his election chances. “60 Minutes” aired a more concise and straightforward version of Harris’ answer than did “Face the Nation.”
Editing interviews for clarity and time restrictions of a broadcast is a common practice in TV news. While 1st Amendment experts said CBS News had done nothing wrong, parent company Paramount settled the case for $16 million to help clear the regulatory hurdles for its merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media. The merger was completed Aug. 7.
“Face the Nation” is an hourlong program, with some CBS affiliates running only the first half-hour. One concern among media critics and journalists is that politicians will easily be able to run out the clock to avoid answers to tough questions if they know their responses won’t be trimmed.
Chuck Todd, the former moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said setting the parameters for the length and editing of taped interviews was a constant subject of negotiation during his tenure.
“This comes up frequently with guests when you do it on tape instead of live,” Todd said. “None of this is a problem if they agree to come on live when your show is taping.”
Todd encouraged his guests to come on live, reasoning that “it gives [subjects] as much control over the interview, as it does me.”
Sunday public affairs shows such as “Face the Nation” and “Meet the Press” have long been the most influential programs in network news divisions because they are closely watched by politicians and opinion leaders.
But the no-editing policy also raises the risks that interview subjects will demand the same treatment on other programs. “60 Minutes,” which lands the biggest news makers and reaches a large audience, depends on taped interviews.
CBS News is expecting additional changes as Skydance engages in talks to acquire the Free Press, the right-leaning web-based media company founded by former New York Times opinion writer Bari Weiss.
The deal is said to be nearing completion, according to people familiar with the discussions, and would include a prominent role for Weiss at CBS News, even though she has no experience in running a TV news organization. Weiss and the New York-based Free Press are known for reporting and commentary that is staunchly pro-Israel and critical of progressive ideas that Trump and others deride as “wokeness.”
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