ABC tells the government to get out of its newsrooms | The Verge
Overview
Tech Expand Amazon Apple Facebook Google Microsoft Samsung Business See all tech
Reviews Expand Smart Home Reviews Phone Reviews Tablet Reviews Headphone Reviews See all reviews
Details
Science Expand Space Energy Environment Health See all science
Entertainment Expand TV Shows Movies Audio See all entertainment
Policy Expand Antitrust Politics Law Security See all policy
Gadgets Expand Laptops Phones TVs Headphones Speakers Wearables See all gadgets
Verge Shopping Expand Buying Guides Deals Gift Guides See all shopping
Streaming Expand Disney HBONetflix You Tube Creators See all streaming
Transportation Expand Electric Cars Autonomous Cars Ride-sharing Scooters See all transportation
Policy Close Policy Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Policy
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Entertainment Close Entertainment Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Entertainment
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
News Close News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All News
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
ABC tells the government to get out of its newsrooms
ABC argues that the FCC is targeting The View and other shows ‘perceived as unfriendly to the current administration.’
ABC argues that the FCC is targeting The View and other shows ‘perceived as unfriendly to the current administration.’
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
ABC is firing back at the Federal Communications Commission after the agency opened an investigation into The View’s airtime of political candidates. In a letter to the FCC on Tuesday, ABC argues that the agency’s actions pose a risk to editorial independence by targeting programs “perceived as unfriendly to the current administration,” as reported earlier by The Wrap.
In February, the FCC Chair Brendan Carr confirmed that he’s reexamining The View’s classification as a “bona fide” news program after the talk show held an interview with Rep. James Talarico (D-TX), who is running for a spot in the Senate. The View’s classification exempts it from the “equal time rule,” which requires broadcasters to give candidates running for the same office equal air time on the network.
“The First Amendment does not permit the government to sit in an editor’s chair,” ABC writes in response to the February investigation. “Yet that is the seat the Commission now proposes to take — deciding which broadcast programs qualify as legitimate news and, for those it finds wanting, compelling them to surrender their airtime to guests they never chose to feature.”
The FCC initially determined that The View is a bona fide news program in 2002. ABC argues that while The View hasn’t changed since then, the “political climate around it” has. “The Commission has trained its attention on daytime and late-night television,” ABC says. Former Late Show host Stephen Colbert says CBS blocked him from airing an interview with Rep. Talarico in February due to concerns surrounding the FCC’s changing policies. Meanwhile, Semafor reports that The View has avoided hosting political candidates since the FCC’s inquiry.
“An exemption that protects editorial independence only when the speaker’s politics please those in power protects nothing at all; the shelter it gives one program today it will deny another tomorrow, when the gavel changes hands — as it inevitably will,” ABC says.
In April, the FCC ordered ABC stations owned by Disney to file for an early license renewal in April as part of an investigation into the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusivity policies, raising concerns about the agency’s interference with the content aired by broadcasters.
Emma Roth Close Emma Roth News Writer Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All by Emma Roth
Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Entertainment Close Entertainment Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Entertainment
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
News Close News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All News
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Policy Close Policy Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Policy
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Politics Close Politics Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Politics
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Speech Close Speech Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All Speech
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
TV Shows Close TV Shows Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow Follow See All TV Shows
Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.
Microsoft is selling off four Xbox studios as part of significant gaming cuts
Xbox’s bold plan for the future sounds nearly impossible
Key Takeaways
- Tech Expand Amazon Apple Facebook Google Microsoft Samsung Business See all tech
- Reviews Expand Smart Home Reviews Phone Reviews Tablet Reviews Headphone Reviews See all reviews
- Science Expand Space Energy Environment Health See all science
- Entertainment Expand TV Shows Movies Audio See all entertainment
- Policy Expand Antitrust Politics Law Security See all policy
