Anna Gomez, the sole Democrat on the FCC, called out CBS for restricting Stephen Colbert from featuring an interview with a U.S. Senate candidate on his late-night show’s regular broadcast, as the network feared running afoul of equal time rules.
On his show on Monday, Colbert said that he was told by CBS attorneys that “in no uncertain terms” could James Talarico, running for the Democratic nomination in Texas, appear on the broadcast. Instead, the interview streamed on YouTube, which is outside of the FCC’s oversight.
In a statement, Gomez said, “This is yet another troubling example of corporate capitulation in the face of this Administration’s broader campaign to censor and control speech. The FCC has no lawful authority to pressure broadcasters for political purposes or to create a climate that chills free expression. CBS is fully protected under the First Amendment to determine what interviews it airs, which makes its decision to yield to political pressure all the more disappointing.
“It is no secret that Paramount, CBS’s parent company, has regulatory matters before the government, but corporate interests cannot justify retreating from airing newsworthy content. The FCC is powerless to impose restrictions on protected speech, and any attempt to intimidate broadcasters into self-censorship undermines both press freedom and public trust. I once again urge broadcasters and their parent companies to stand firm against these unlawful pressures and continue exercising their constitutional right to speak freely and without government interference.”
Paramount is seeking to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, a transaction that will not come before the FCC, but will face the scrutiny of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.
A spokesperson for CBS did not immediately return a request for comment.
Under the equal time rule, broadcasters who feature candidates are required to give airtime to rivals, if requested. There is an exemption for news programming, and for decades, talk shows have been under the assumption that they fall under that exclusion given the news value of their guests.
But FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced last month that the agency had issued new guidance on the equal time rules, a move that was viewed as targeted at late-night shows like Colbert, ABC’s The View and Jimmy Kimmel. President Donald Trump has long attacked those shows for their criticism of him.
English (US) ·