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Trump’s FCC chair resurrects election bias complaints against ABC, CBS, NBC

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Complaints of media bias against CBS, ABC and NBC have been revived under President Trump’s new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr. These complaints, which allege bias in election coverage, were dismissed last week by former FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, who served under the Biden administration.

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However, with Carr taking over leadership of the agency this week, the FCC will now continue investigating these complaints.

The allegations claim that affiliates of these major networks “distorted” their broadcasts to favor former Vice President Kamala Harris over then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during the height of the 2024 election cycle.

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In a move that reversed his predecessor’s decision, Carr stated that the dismissal of the complaints was “premature” and based on an “insufficient investigation,” warranting “further consideration.”

Under Carr’s leadership, the FCC will now take a second look at three complaints filed by the law firm Center for American Rights.

The three complaints in question are as follows:

  1. WPVI-TV, an ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, is accused of bias for favoring Kamala Harris over Donald Trump during the September presidential debate.
  2. New York’s WCBS-TV, a CBS affiliate, is accused of “news distortion” due to the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with Harris.
  3. New York’s WNBC-TV, an NBC affiliate, is accused of violating the FCC’s “equal-time rule” when Kamala Harris appeared in a cameo on “Saturday Night Live” the weekend before the presidential election.

The equal-time rule mandates that broadcast stations provide equal coverage to competing political candidates. Rosenworcel, who dismissed the complaints in question, argued that Trump had been given equal airtime the following day during a NASCAR race and an NFL “Sunday Night Football” game. She also stated that the FCC should not be used as “the president’s speech police.”

During the election cycle, President Trump had called for ABC, CBS and NBC to lose their broadcasting rights over the issues outlined in the complaints. While national networks are not licensed by the FCC, the agency is responsible for licensing local network affiliates. This is why the complaints target the individual local affiliates.

The agency has the authority to impose a range of penalties on broadcast stations, including hefty fines and even revoking licenses. However, the FCC has stated that it rarely intervenes, due to the delicate balance between “news distortion” and the First Amendment rights to a free press.

Had Rosenworcel dismissed the complaints a few weeks earlier, it would have prevented Trump’s newly appointed FCC chair from reviving the cases. As it stands, under Carr’s leadership, the complaints will now undergo further review.

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[Karah Rucker]

COMPLAINTS OF MEDIA BIAS AGAINST CBS, ABC, AND NBC HAVE BEEN **REVIVED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP’S NEW “FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION” CHAIR “BRENDAN CARR.”

THE FCC CHAIR UNDER THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION “JESSICA ROSENWORCEL” HAD DISMISSED THE COMPLAINTS OF BIASES IN ELECTION COVERAGE LAST WEEK.

BUT UNDER CARR – THE FCC WILL CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE THE COMPLAINTS –

CLAIMING THESE AFFILIATES “DISTORTED” THEIR BROADCASTS TO FAVOR VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS OVER NOW-PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP DURING THE HEAT OF THE ELECTION CYCLE.

FCC CHAIR BRENDAN CARR – TAKING OVER THE FEDERAL AGENCY THIS WEEK –

AND IMMEDIATELY REVERSING HIS PREDECESSOR’S DECISION TO DISMISS THREE BIAS COMPLAINTS.

THE NOW FORMER FCC CHAIRWOMAN CALLED THE COMPLAINTS “A WEAPONIZATION” OF THE AGENCY’s LICENSING AUTHORITY –

SAYING THE COMPLAINTS WERE “AT ODDS” WITH THE FIRST AMENDMENT’S PROTECTIONS OF A FREE PRESS.

BUT CARR SAYS THE DECISION TO DISMISS THE COMPLAINTS WAS DONE “PREMATURELY” BASED ON AN “INSUFFICIENT INVESTIGATION” THAT DESERVES “FURTHER CONSIDERATION.”

HERE’S THE THREE COMPLAINTS THE FCC WILL BE LOOKING AT–

ALL FILED BY THE LAW FIRM “CENTER FOR AMERICAN RIGHTS”.

AN ABC AFFILIATE IS ACCUSED OF BIAS – FAVORING HARRIS OVER TRUMP – DURING THE SEPTEMBER PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE.

A CBS AFFILIATE IS ACCUSED OF “NEWS DISTORTION” IN THE WAY 60 MINUTES EDITED ITS INTERVIEW WITH HARRIS.

AND AN NBC AFFILIATE IS ACCUSED OF VIOLATING AN “EQUAL TIME FCC RULE” WHEN “SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE” FEATURED KAMALA HARRIS IN A CAMEO THE WEEKEND BEFORE THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

THE “EQUAL TIME RULE” REQUIRES BROADCAST STATIONS TO GIVE EQUAL COVERAGE TO COMPETING POLITICAL CANDIDATES.

WHEN ROSENWORCEL  DISMISSED THE “EQUAL TIME RULE” COMPLAINT – SHE SAID TRUMP WAS GIVEN AIRTIME THE NEXT DAY DURING A NASCAR RACE AND AN NFL SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL GAME –

AND SAID THE FCC SHOULDN’T BE “THE PRESIDENT’S SPEECH POLICE.”

DURING THE ELECTION CYCLE –

TRUMP HAD CALLED FOR ABC, CBS, AND NBC TO LOSE BROADCASTING RIGHTS OVER THE ISSUES DETAILED IN THESE COMPLAINTS.

NATIONAL NETWORKS ARE **NOT LICENSED BY THE FCC — **BUT THE FCC IS RESPONSIBLE FOR LICENSING INDIVIDUAL STATIONS – LIKE LOCAL NETWORK AFFILIATES.

WHICH IS WHY IN THE COMPLAINTS – A LOCAL AFFILIATE IS THE NAMED TARGET.

ACCORDING TO THE FCC’S OWN WEBSITE –

THE AGENCY HAS THE RIGHT TO IMPOSE A VARIETY OF PENALTIES ON A BROADCAST STATION – THAT INCLUDES HEFTY FINES AND REVOKING LICENSES –

BUT THE FCC SAYS IT “RARELY INTERVENES” –

DUE TO THE FINE LINE BETWEEN “NEWS DISTORTION” AND “FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.”

IF THE FORMER FCC CHAIR WOULD HAVE DISMISSED THESE THREE COMPLAINTS A FEW WEEKS EARLIER –

THEN IT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED TRUMP’S FCC CHAIR FROM BEING ABLE TO REVIVE THE CASES.

BUT THE COMPLAINTS WILL NOW GET A SECOND LOOK BY THE AGENCY UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP.

THANKS FOR WATCHING OUR NEWS UPDATE.

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FOR SAN – I’M KARAH RUCKER.