FCC rejects complaints over ABC presidential debate, Harris TV appearances

Source: Reuters

January 16, 2025 1:00 PM EST Updated 5 hours ago


WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday rejected complaints about how ABC News moderated the pre-election TV debate between U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump, and appearances of Vice President Kamala Harris on CBS' "60 Minutes" and NBC's "Saturday Night Live."

In a statement, outgoing FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said the commission was rejecting complaints that "seek to weaponize the licensing authority of the FCC in a way that is fundamentally at odds with the First Amendment." Rosenworcel also said the agency had rejected a petition not to renew the license of a Philadelphia Fox TV station. An advocacy group asked the FCC in 2023 to deny a licence renewal for WTXF-TV, complaining that its parent Fox (FOXA.O), which also owns Fox News, had aired "false information about election fraud" about the 2020 presidential election.

The group, the Media and Democracy Project, said on Thursday it plans to appeal the decision. In September, Trump urged the FCC to cancel licenses for Walt Disney-owned (DIS.N) ABC over the network's moderating of the Sept. 10 presidential debate. In October, Trump filed a lawsuit against Paramount-owned PARA.O CBS over the "60 Minutes" interview with Harris that he called "misleading," and asked the commission to compel the broadcaster to release a transcript. Trump, who won the Nov. 5 election, will be inaugurated on Monday for his second term in office.

The FCC rejected a complaint by the Center for American Rights that the "60 Minutes" interview was distorted, saying the nonprofit group failed to provide sufficient evidence that the broadcast engaged in "a deliberate and intentional falsification of the news." CBS has said that Trump backed out of his own planned interview with "60 Minutes."

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/fcc-rejects-complaints-over-abc-presidential-debate-harris-appearances-2025-01-16/