Los Angeles Times

CBS has asked the Federal Communications Commission to end its investigation into edits of its “60 Minutes” Kamala Harris interview, arguing that the federal government risks becoming “a roving censor” trampling on free speech rights.President Trump was furious over October 2024's “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Harris in the closing weeks of the campaign. The president and other conservatives chided CBS after it was revealed that “60 Minutes” producers had edited Harris’ jumbled response to a question about the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

Forty years ago, the Reagan administration told PBS to find ways to increase funding for public television outside of taxpayer dollars. It did. PBS’ response to the challenge was to enhance the way it acknowledged sponsors. Instead of merely running a company logo before its programming, PBS let corporate underwriters place messages that looked more like standard commercials. That process helped sustain such programs as “Nova,” “Masterpiece” and Ken Burns’ acclaimed documentaries.