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Secretary of DHS Kristi Noem’s interview aired on the program last week. The administration accused CBS of deceptive editing and ‘whitewashing’, prompting an update to their interview policy
Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
On Friday, CBS News announced a significant change to its interview policy for the Sunday show “Face the Nation” following backlash from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem over editing her recent interview.
The news network states that “Face the Nation” will start airing its interviews unedited or aired “live-to-tape”, an industry term meaning recorded in real-time. This change comes less than a week after Kristi Noem appeared on the show and criticized CBS for their edits upon its release.
In a statement from the DHS, Noem criticized CBS, claiming the interview was “shamefully edited” to “whitewash the truth.” The interview, which aired on August 31, partially covered Kilmar Abrego García, a Maryland man who was illegally deported to El Salvador despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation due to fear of persecution.
In the DHS’ recent statement about the interview, Noem says “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 press release said CBS cut “nearly four minutes” of Noem’s 16 minute speech on air and “in doing so, removed more than 23% of [her] answers exposing the truth about criminal illegal alien Kilmar Abrego García, President Donald Trump’s lawful actions to protect the American people, and Secretary Noem’s commitment to fight on behalf of the American people and their tax dollars.”
CBS responded by defending its procedure, stating that the interview was “edited for time and met all CBS news standards.” They added that the full interview and transcript were uploaded online the same morning the interview aired. The four-minute cut included claims or allegations made by Noem that have not been proven true in court.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with federal agents during a raid in Highland ParkCredit: Department of Homeland Security
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However, on Friday, CBS took further action, announcing that “in response to audience feedback” they have “implemented a new policy for greater transparency” in interviews. Now, interviews for the Sunday show will be aired in full and unedited.
This is not the first time CBS has received criticism from the Trump administration over an interview. Notably, Trump sued CBS last fall during his campaign over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris, where he alleged that CBS edited the footage in Harris’ favor.
Though experts considered Trump’s suit to have legal weaknesses, CBS’ parent company, Paramount Global, agreed to a $16 million settlement in July. The settlement was announced as Paramount sought approval from the Trump administration for a planned merger with Skydance Media.
Some critics think the settlement was influenced by the merger and are concerned about news organizations facing litigation from political figures. CBS News is currently looking to hire an ombudsman, a designated official appointed to investigate complaints such as Noem’s.
Since her start as Secretary, Noem has remained at the center of controversial headlines and in conflict with news networks. In 2024, she appeared on Fox News and blamed “fake news” for putting the “worst spin” on her memoir, referring a Guardian article that covered the chapter where Noem writes of her decision to shoot and kill her dog, and then her goat.
In June 2025, Noem claimed that LA was a “war zone” and “would have burned down if left to the devices of the mayor and governor”, which Mayor Karen Bass called an “outright lie.” With litigation issues on the rise, journalistic integrity and independent press remain hot topics of debate.
Due to pressure from the administration, news channels such as CBS are undergoing additional measures to revisit their reporting policies.
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Murder, She Wrote was incredibly popular for American network CBS when it aired between 1984 and 1996, regularly pulling in millions of viewers, at its peak, the show was being watched by around 40 million people. However, the plug was eventually pulled on the show, which starred the late Dame Angela Lansbury as crime writer Jessica Fletcher, after 12 years, leading to plenty of disappointment for fans. So, what went wrong on the show given that it had previously been a titan for the network? HELLO! has done some investigating, and here’s what we found…
Why was Murder, She Wrote cancelled?
Like many shows, Murder, She Wrote was cancelled because of low ratings. Despite most of its seasons being in the top 13 of the most watched shows across the United States, for its final season, this collapsed and the show ended up finishing in 58th place; a far cry from when it ranked in the third spot.
However, this collapse in viewership appears not to have had anything to do about how fans felt about the show, but because CBS decided to move the programme from its primetime Sunday night slot. The final season ended up being broadcast on a Thursday, and while its final episodes aired in its normal slot, it wasn’t enough to save the show.
The decision to move the show onto a Thursday was in direct response to rival network NBC’s ‘Must See TV’ which was dominating the rankings on that day with shows including Friends. It was hoped that Murder, She Wrote’s popularity would siphon views away from NBC, but ultimately it just led to the show’s cancellation.
Murder, She Wrote was cancelled after its final season drew in disappointing numbers
However, the show did continue in some format following its cancellation. Dame Angela returned to the role on four occasions for a series of TV movies, which were broadcast between 1997 and 2003. Among the plotlines for the movies, Jessica had to track down a missing woman on a train who witnessed the murder of a whistleblower, while another saw her travelling to Ireland to hear the reading of a will, which contains clues to multi-murderer.
How did Angela Lansbury react to the show’s cancellation?
Angela was incredibly critical of the decision to move the show away from its primetime slot at the time. She said in an interview with The Spokesman-Review: “I don’t think I would have ever agreed to do this 12th season if I knew this was going to happen. I just couldn’t understand. I couldn’t find any logic to their thinking, and neither could anybody else.”
Angela spoke out about the decision to move the show from its primetime slot
The star had previously considered leaving the role after its fourth season in 1988. The actress, who was 60 at the time, cited the increasing workload, with episodes taking eight days to shoot at the time. However, compromises were made, and although Angela’s role in the series decreased for the next two seasons, she continued on with the show.
Murder, She Wrote’s future
In 2013, it was reported that a reboot for the show was being considered by NBC. The series would star Octavia Spencer as a hospital administrator who publishes her first crime novel. Dame Angela was critical of the plan, saying: “I think it’s a mistake to call it Murder, She Wrote because Murder, She Wrote will always be about Cabot Cove and this wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is a rare and very individual kind of person.”
A year later, it was confirmed that the network would not be moving forward with the plan and in an interview with the BBC at the time, Angela expressed her joy at the news, saying the show would have been a “terrible mistake”. However, she praised Octavia, adding: “Octavia Spencer is a superb actress. She had no business being put into a situation that she couldn’t win.”
The show didn’t return in during the rest of Dame Angela’s life
Murder, She Wrote wouldn’t return to screens while Dame Angela was still alive. The actress passed away at the age of 96 on 11 October 2022. A year after her passing, it was announced that a film adaptation of the series was being planned. Jamie Lee Curtis will be taking on the role of Jessica Fletcher, but last month she indicated to Entertainment Weekly that the film hadn’t yet started shooting.
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