CBS News Agrees Not to Edit 'Face The Nation' Interviews Following Homeland Security Backlash [View all]

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Source: Variety

CBS News is giving up the power it has to hold “Face the Nation” interviewees to account.

The Paramount Skydance news unit said Friday it would cease editing taped interviews with newsmakers who appear on “Face the Nation” following complaints from the Trump administration over an appearance on the show earlier this week when U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made a number of false or unproven statements about Kilmar Abergo Garcia, the Salvadoran man who was deported despite his having protected legal status in the United States. CBS News offered just a portion of the overall interview with Noem and made the full exchange available online.

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CBS News’ move is an unorthodox one, potentially leaving show moderators and producers unable to remove false statements or propaganda uttered by political operatives and officials and undermining the authority and credibility of Margaret Brennan, the moderator of the Sunday public-affairs program. The edict is also risky, potentially giving viewers the sense that Brennan is less able to question or challenge her guests — one of the main elements of TV’s Sunday political shows that bring viewers to them in the first place.

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But it also means “Nation” could become a home of live grandstanding by interviewees from either side of the political aisle who would rather spout talking points than answer a question. And it suggests there is a level of naiveté on the part of the new owners of CBS News, a group led by CEO David Ellison, about the nature of TV journalism and its service to viewers.

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Read more: https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/cbs-news-face-the-nation-interviews-no-edits-backlash-1236509301/