On Friday, CBS News’ Face the Nation announced that it will now broadcast its live or live-to-tape interviews in their entirety.
The network, in a statement to TVNewser, said the new policy, which was in response to “audience feedback,” was implemented to provide “greater transparency in our interviews.”
Excluded from this procedure are interviews that are “subject to national security or legal restrictions,” and according to The Washington Post, this new change will only affect Face the Nation and not its other news programs.
This latest policy change from CBS News comes as the network faced complaints from Department of Homeland Security’s Kristi Noem and the Trump administration for “shamefully” editing her interview with Ed O’Keefe this past Sunday in an effort to “whitewash the truth.”
The network initially responded that the interview was “edited for time and met all CBS News standards,” noting that the full interview was available on YouTube, with transcripts available, too.
This latest turn of events comes on the heels of CBS News recently falling under new ownership under the Skydance Media umbrella, following a prolonged merger process that saw the news network sued by then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in late 2024.
At the time, Trump accused CBS News of “deceitful” editing of a 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President and then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The network reached a $16 million settlement and issued no statement of apology or regret for the 60 Minutes interview with Harris.
Additionally, the network agreed to release transcripts of interviews with eligible U.S. presidential candidates after the interviews have aired, with the ability to add redactions for legal or national security concerns.
Settling the case was reportedly a top priority for former Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone, who sought to complete the long-anticipated sale to Skydance Media.
However, the process of reaching that settlement came with the departures of two key 60 Minutes executives: Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News and Stations, and CBS Media Ventures, and Bill Owens, the longtime executive producer of 60 Minutes.
The settlement, the departures of senior leadership, and the news that Skydance Media will install an ombudsman to review “complaints of bias or other concerns” and ensure “viewpoint diversity” at CBS News helped see through the merger.
Despite Paramount CEO David Ellison’s public support of CBS News, this latest policy change to its Sunday public affairs program adds to the uncertainty around what the news organization looks like moving forward.