The change comes months after CBS parent Paramount paid $16 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit over edits to a ‘60 Minutes’ interview with Kamala Harris.
CBS News has announced it will no longer edit guest interviews on its flagship Sunday program “Face the Nation,” moving to a live or live-to-tape format following days of criticism over its handling of a sit-down with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The change comes after Noem accused the network of “shamefully” cutting portions of her Aug. 31 interview in order to “whitewash the truth.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the broadcaster removed over 23 percent of her answers, “exposing the truth about criminal illegal alien Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 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 initially defended its actions, saying that the unedited version was posted online, but the backlash continued to grow on social media and beyond. Noem and others circulated clips of the missing passages online and accused the network of trying to manipulate public opinion by withholding harsh truths—like when Noem said that Abrego Garcia was a “known human smuggler, MS-13 gang member, an individual who was a wife beater.”
Then, on Sept. 5, CBS said that it will now only broadcast live or live-to-tape interviews, meaning guests’ answers will not be edited in any way—except in situations where legal or national security reasons require it. The broadcaster said it was changing its editorial policy “in response to audience feedback.”
The Noem interview is the second time in less than a year that CBS has figured into disputes over alleged selective editing. Last fall, then-presidential candidate Trump sued CBS, alleging that a “60 Minutes” interview with Democratic challenger and then-Vice President Kamala Harris had been manipulated to improve her image and boost her chances in the 2024 election.
By Tom Ozimek
