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CBS News is giving up some of 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.
The move is an unorthodox one, leaving CBS News 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 it in the first place.
The decision may spur viewers to leave “Face the Nation,” one of the most-viewed among the so-called “Sunday shows,” and sample rivals such as NBC News’ “Meet the Press” or ABC News’ “This Week.”
“In response to audience feedback over the past week, we have implemented a new policy for greater transparency in our interviews. ‘Face The Nation’ will now only broadcast live or live-to-tape interviews (subject to national security or legal restrictions),” CBS News said in a Friday 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.”
But it also means “Nation” could become a home of grandstanding by interviewees from either side of the political aisle who would rather spout talking points than answer a question. And it speaks to the naiveté 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.
More to come….
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Brian Steinberg
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