For years we have heard conservatives complain about the politically biased mainstream media. During his election speeches Donald Trump often referred to information from the biased media as the "Fake News.” Now there is tangible evidence of that bias at one of the networks.
In July CBS and its parent company Paramount Global settled a $20 million lawsuit brought by Trump for election interference in the last presidential election. In a "60 Minute" interview with Kamala Harris regarding an Israeli matter, candidate Harris gave a "word salad" answer that made little sense. However, CBS edited out that answer, and a more logical answer was supplied to Harris who then spoke those words, and the network inserted them as if they had been the answer given at the time of the original interview. This new version was used for the aired program. Trump discovered this switch which led to his lawsuit. He settled with CBS for $16 million which he says will be used for conservative causes.
Even more recently on August 31 CBS aired a segment on its “Face the Nation" Sunday program. The Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem was interviewed with regard to the disposition and deportation status of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who has been living in Maryland.
Regarding the "Face the Nation" discussion, Kristi Noem said "This morning, I joined CBS to report the facts about Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Instead' CBS shamefully edited the interview to whitewash the truth about this MS-13 gang member and the threat he poses to American public safety." In all, 23% of her answer was deleted, and that was the part dealing with the character and actions of Garcia.
Kristi Noem's original remarks before editing included: "This individual was a known human smuggler, an MS-13 gang member, and an individual who is a wife beater; he solicited nude photos from minors..." and so on. Those comments were deleted for the final "Face the Nation" program.
The CBS response to Kristi Noem's accusation was that the program was edited for time, and it met all CBS news standards. Yeah right. We are beginning to see what those standards really are. They have deteriorated significantly since the days of Walter Cronkite who was the anchorman for CBS evening news from 1962 to 1981. He was often referred to as "the most trusted man in America." Those were the days my friend.
Peter Gilderson, Madison.
