RCFP: Interviews on ‘The View’ should be exempt from FCC’s equal time rule

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is urging the Federal Communications Commission to find that interviews on ABC’s daytime talk show “The View” are exempt from an agency rule that requires broadcasters to give equal air time to opposing political candidates.

In public comments submitted to the FCC on June 22, 2026, the Reporters Committee addresses the agency’s ongoing inquiry into whether “The View” violated what is known as the equal time rule. 

Under the rule, FCC-licensed broadcasters that allow a political candidate on their airwaves must also offer that candidate’s opponents “equal opportunities” to appear on the program. Exemptions added in 1959, however, removed that requirement for newscasts, news interviews, news documentaries, and on-the-spot news coverage, ultimately providing broadcasters with wider latitude to cover political campaigns.

The Reporters Committee’s letter notes that the exemptions to the equal time rule have historically been interpreted broadly, and that the FCC has relied on broadcasters’ “good faith news judgment” when determining whether a program qualifies for the exemptions. Given that history, the Reporters Committee argues that “The View” should fall within the FCC’s longstanding understanding of what constitutes innovative news programming and should therefore be considered exempt from the rule.

“Requiring any informational program like The View to afford dozens of candidates equal time simply to interview a single candidate is not feasible and would chill political news coverage,” the Reporters Committee’s letter states.

“Journalists and editors — not Commissioners or elected officials — are in the best position to determine which interviews are newsworthy,” the letter continues. “The FCC should continue to defer to their judgment regarding candidate interviews and political speech more broadly.”