Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press v. Federal Communications Commission
Case Number: 1:25-cv-02091
Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Client: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Complaint Filed: June 30, 2025
Background: In October 2024, CBS News aired certain portions of an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris in a promotional clip on “Face the Nation” before it aired other portions in the ultimate broadcast the next day on “60 Minutes.”
Shortly after, the Federal Communications Commission received a complaint claiming that CBS violated the agency’s “news distortion” rule, which gives the FCC narrow authority to investigate complaints about accuracy or bias in news reporting. CBS has argued that it used fair, routine news editing practices in the broadcast, which also drew a lawsuit against the network from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, who claimed it was deceptively edited to influence the 2024 election.
In January 2025, then-FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, dismissed the complaint and others before her resignation, writing that they “seek to weaponize the licensing authority of the FCC in a way that is fundamentally at odds with the First Amendment.” But two days after Trump took office, Trump-appointed FCC Chair Brendan Carr reopened the CBS complaint.
In May 2025, an attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the FCC seeking records that could shed light on how the agency uses its regulatory power over news organizations for coverage perceived as critical or unfavorable.
After a month passed without a response, Reporters Committee attorneys filed this lawsuit to obtain the records, alleging that the FCC violated FOIA by failing to comply with statutory deadlines and wrongfully withholding agency records. It asks that the court order the FCC to complete its search for the records and release all non-exempt records.
Related: In March 2025, the Reporters Committee urged the FCC to drop its inquiry into CBS News, stating that there was “zero evidence” that the news outlet deliberately distorted the interview and emphasizing the danger the investigation could pose to a free press.
Filings:
2025-06-30: Complaint