Protect America’s Newsrooms from Political Censorship Tactics

I write to express deep concern about recent federal actions that amount to political supervision of CBS - a private news organization - using regulatory and legal tools. These actions threaten constitutional rights and press freedom and should alarm Americans across the spectrum. FCC Investigations Are Being Used as a Tool to Suppress Dissent In January 2025, the FCC reopened “news distortion” complaints targeting CBS, ABC, and NBC - excluding Fox. These actions, taken under Trump-aligned leadership, are being used to pressure editorial decisions and delay mergers, turning the FCC into a political enforcement body. CBS argued this created “a roving censor - one that second-guesses and punishes editorial decisions.” Lawsuits by Trump Are Undermining Journalistic Independence In late 2024, Trump filed a $20 billion lawsuit against CBS and 60 Minutes, accusing them of deceptive editing in an interview with Kamala Harris. Paramount settled for $16 million without admitting wrongdoing and agreed to release full transcripts of future candidate interviews. Trump later claimed additional concessions; Paramount denied them. This settlement has had a chilling effect, encouraging others to use lawsuits to intimidate journalists. Merger Approval Process Weaponized to Influence Editorial Policy These legal actions coincided with Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media, which required federal approval. Observers questioned whether the settlement influenced the regulatory outcome. Around the same time, 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens resigned, citing political pressure and compromised editorial independence. Erosion of the First Amendment and Press Autonomy Investigations, litigation, and merger conditions are now being used to punish and reshape press behavior. These are not neutral tools but coercive tactics. Government must never influence news content. Doing so undermines public trust and core constitutional protections. Congress Must Defend a Free Press from Political Retaliation • The First Amendment forbids government from chilling speech based on viewpoint. • FCC license threats turn journalism into a political target. • Without press freedom, the public loses access to independent reporting. I respectfully urge you to: • Oppose the FCC’s abuse of “news distortion” rules; • Reject expansions of executive power to punish the press; • Block efforts to tie federal approvals or funding to content compliance; • Speak out publicly against government interference in journalism; • Support legislation banning the misuse of federal agencies to control media; • Call for oversight hearings to investigate political manipulation of news outlets. Congress must act to defend the First Amendment and protect an independent press.