Tag: abc

Complaints Ask FEC, FCC To Investigate ABC For Breaking Broadcast And Donation Rules In Debate

Remember that brazenly biased presidential debate on Sept. 10, hosted by ABC television? The one where ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis “fact-checked” former President Donald Trump five times and Vice President Kamala Harris, not at all?  The one advertised as a legitimate debate that felt more like a 90-minute campaign commercial for Harris?

The Center for American Rights has filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), asking these agencies to hold ABC and its local affiliate accountable on two matters: an alleged campaign donation violation, and a concern about its television broadcast license.  

Unlike print media, broadcast airwaves belong to the public. While anyone can find some paper, start their own newsletter, and say whatever they want, there is a finite number of airwaves across the broadcast spectrum, so they belong to everyone. That is why the FCC licenses segments of the airwaves to broadcasters with the condition that they must use a certain amount of their broadcast time to serve the public.

“One of the obligations of stewarding the airwaves in the public interest is that debates must be fair and impartial, and when you fail at that, there must be accountability from the regulator,” Daniel Suhr, attorney at the Center for America Rights, told The Federalist in a phone interview. “The media have been pushing the boundaries for decades and what ABC did was further than what anyone had done previously.”

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ABC News Asks Judge for More Time to Respond to Trump Lawsuit

American Broadcasting Companies Inc. (ABC) and ABC News have sought a 30-day delay to respond to a defamation lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump against the network and its host George Stephanopoulos.

In his lawsuit, President Trump argues that Mr. Stephanopoulos made a dozen allegedly defamatory remarks on air on March 10 when the host repeatedly stated that a jury had found the former president liable for the rape of writer E. Jean Carroll.

According to a court filing, ABC, which was served on March 19, reached out the next day to President Trump’s attorneys, who consented to the broadcaster’s accepting service on behalf of Mr. Stephanopoulos, who hadn’t been served.

The broadcaster has until April 9 to file a response motion, and Mr. Stephanopoulos has until May 20.

ABC has requested a uniform response date of May 10.

“That date will extend the deadline for the corporate Defendants’ response by 30 days, while reducing the deadline for Defendant Stephanopoulos’s response by 10 days. Plaintiff consents to this request,” the court filing reads.

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ABC News Admits It Censored RFK Jr. Interview For “False Claims About Covid-19 Vaccines”

In a remarkable video, ABC News presented a pre-recorded interview with presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, telling viewers that parts of what was said had been edited out because he said something about the COVID vaccine that the news network disagrees with.

The interview was aired with clear edits made during parts where Kennedy spoke about his views on vaccines.

The interviewer Linsey Davis asked RFK Jr. about his belief that vaccination was linked to autism, which he began to explain before she jumped in and claimed that has all been debunked. The footage then skipped to a different topic entirely.

After the interview concluded, Davis told viewers “We should note that during our conversation, Kennedy made false claims about the Covid-19 vaccines.”

She claimed “Data shows that the Covid-19 vaccine has prevented millions of hospitalizations and deaths from the disease.”

“He also made misleading claims about the relationship between vaccination and autism,” Davis further asserted, adding “Research shows that vaccines and the ingredients used in the vaccines do not cause autism, including multiple studies involving more than a million children and major medical associations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the advocacy group Autism Speaks.”

“We’ve used our editorial judgment in not including extended portions of that exchange in our interview,” Davis explained.

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