FCC requests ‘60 Minutes’ Harris interview material as it reviews Paramount-Skydance merger

Government has asked for footage, transcript from the segment, which is subject of a lawsuit against CBS by President Trump.

Kamala Harris held an interview with Bill Whitaker of CBS News in October last year for the channel’s 60 Minutes show Picture: AFP

The Federal Communications Commission requested that Paramount Global hand over its footage and transcripts from an October CBS News 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris as part of its review of the company’s planned merger with Skydance Media.

The interview has prompted a personal lawsuit from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.

CBS News said in a statement Friday that it is working to comply with the FCC’s request for the “full, unedited transcript and camera feeds from our interview with Vice President Harris which aired on October 7, 2024”.

Trump’s lawsuit against CBS, which seeks $US10bn in damages, alleges that the network committed election interference by editing portions of an interview with Harris, favouring her campaign for president.

Trump claimed CBS aired one version of the interview in a segment on its Sunday morning news magazine show ‘Face the Nation’ that wasn’t flattering to the vice president, and then another version in the full interview on that evening’s episode of 60 Minutes.

CBS has said it aired a more succinct version of Harris’s interview on 60 Minutes.

FCC chairman Brendan Carr has made it clear to Paramount executives that the agency’s review of its merger with Skydance will be tough and has said that bias accusations against Paramount’s CBS News are fair game for the agency.

In a November Fox News interview, he cited a news-distortion complaint against CBS from the Center for American Rights as an element he would consider during the merger review.

The FCC has authority over the transaction because it would involve the transfer of broadcast television licenses held by CBS. The commission is currently comprised of two Republicans and two Democrats, with one open seat.

Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez called the commission’s request for the 60 Minutes materials “a retaliatory move by the government against broadcasters whose content or coverage is perceived to be unfavourable. It is designed to instil fear in broadcast stations and influence a network’s editorial decisions”.

Trump has begun settlement talks with Paramount over his lawsuit, according to people familiar with the situation.

Paramount began planning for a potential settlement before Trump took office, The Wall Street Journal first reported. The New York Times reported Thursday that settlement talks had begun.

A potential settlement with Trump has shaken up staff inside CBS News, according to executives there.

This wouldn’t be the first settlement between Trump and a news organisation, and he also has other litigation pending. Last month, in a move that roiled newsroom employees, Disney settled a defamation suit Trump had filed against ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos over comments he made on air stating that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.

A federal jury determined Trump was liable for sexual abuse.

In the settlement, Disney agreed to contribute $US15m to Trump’s presidential foundation or museum and to pay $1 million in legal fees to Trump’s lawyer.

Drew FitzGerald contributed to this article.

Dow Jones