Latest / THE DAILY BRIEF / The FCC keeps another Talarico interview off late night

Transcript

The FCC keeps another Talarico interview off late night · THE DAILY BRIEF

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Breaking news, you're looking at live pictures from the Republican
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Convention in Dallas, where speakers have been making Texas Democratic
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Senate candidate James Tallarico a major target. Tallarico right now
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: in a tight race with Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxson.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: But tonight, the fight over Tallarico is playing out far
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: beyond Texas. Jimmy Kimmel says the FCC is threatening him
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: and ABC over an interview he taped with Tallarico.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: Something has changed. Now that he's president... His FCC has
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: threatened me, threatened our show, threatened our network, ABC, our affiliates,
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: our local stations. Based on simple, traditional editorial decisions, guest bookings,
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: it would seem they don't like.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Kimmel scheduled to air that interview tonight. He said that
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: he would post it on his YouTube channel instead of
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: on the ABC broadcast. That way, Kimmel said ABC wouldn't
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: violate the FCC's rule requiring the network give Tallarico's opponent
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: equal time. But that's a big thing to say because
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: it is important to know that there has been a
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: longstanding exemption to the equal time rule when it comes
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: to late night shows. So what's changed? Out front now,
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: Anna Gomez, the FCC commissioner. And, Commissioner, I appreciate your time.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: So Jimmy Kimmel says the FCC threatened him, but the
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: White House says, I quote, Jimmy Kimmel is play-acting, as
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: he often does, to create a false narrative about this
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: administration's policies. Chairman Carr has not threatened him regarding interviewing
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: James Tallarico or any other candidate. Do you know what
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: the threats were or what happened here, Commissioner?
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: Yes.
• 1:40
  Speaker 4: This administration has been on a pressure campaign against the
• 1:44
  Speaker 4: broadcasters and in particular against ABC and Jimmy Kimmel. So
• 1:50
  Speaker 4: I can't say exactly what happened here. But what I
• 1:53
  Speaker 4: do know is that Disney, the parent company of ABC,
• 1:58
  Speaker 4: has been pushing back against this administration because of this
• 2:02
  Speaker 4: pattern of threats against the content of its broadcasts, its
• 2:06
  Speaker 4: news programs, The View, etc. Jimmy Kimmel in particular. And
• 2:11
  Speaker 4: it has said in court filing in a complaint against
• 2:15
  Speaker 4: the FCC for violation of its First Amendment rights that
• 2:19
  Speaker 4: it has self-edited because of these threats from the administration.
• 2:23
  Speaker 4: So there is a pattern here that is clearly designed
• 2:27
  Speaker 4: to get ABC and its programs to only provide content
• 2:33
  Speaker 4: that this administration favors.
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: Well, self-editing and what to cover, I mean, that's the
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: big crisis in question for journalism in this time that
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: we're living in. James Salarico weighed in on the interview
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: going to YouTube and what happened. Let me just play
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: this exchange for you, Commissioner.
• 2:53
  Speaker 5: I think it's the most dangerous form of cancel culture.
• 2:56
  Speaker 5: People at the top, powerful politicians, powerful media executives censoring
• 3:01
  Speaker 5: what we watch, what we read, what we say. And that, again,
• 3:05
  Speaker 5: should be a concern to everyone who believes in the
• 3:07
  Speaker 5: First Amendment and believes in the freedom of speech.
• 3:10
  Speaker 6: So what do you think ABC should do?
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: You think they should air it anyway?
• 3:13
  Speaker 5: I'm still hopeful that we can have this interview on
• 3:15
  Speaker 5: the air.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: So this is the big question and the conundrum, right?
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: Because on the air, right, apparently it's going on YouTube.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: That's what Jimmy Kimmel said. You talk about the climate
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: of threat, self-editing. So where do you fall on this
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: question as to whether ABC is right to pull the
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: interview from its late night broadcast and put it on
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: YouTube instead?
• 3:39
  Speaker 4: Well, as the regulator of media, it is inappropriate for
• 3:43
  Speaker 4: me to comment and to pressure any media entity about
• 3:48
  Speaker 4: what their editorial decisions are. That is up to ABC
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: to make that decision. That goes both ways. But it's
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: important to note that the viewers are the ones that
• 4:00
  Speaker 4: are being harmed here because their First Amendment rights to
• 4:04
  Speaker 4: see the content of their choice and to get information
• 4:06
  Speaker 4: and to see newsworthy figures is being affected by this
• 4:11
  Speaker 4: administration's campaign against broadcasters.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: So, and I understand and respect the point that you're making,
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: that it shouldn't be about telling people what to do
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: or not do, right? That would, in a sense, be
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: going against the First Amendment in its own way. But
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: when you look at broadcasters and that equal time rule,
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: you know, some people may be confused, but it really
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: was to apply to news broadcasts, whether that's the nightly news.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: I remember how careful NBC was about that when I
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: worked there at NBC. Late night, though, has been exempt
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: from the equal time rules for decades.
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: Right.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: Though it has not been a part of those rules. So,
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: why do you think it's important that that exemption, which
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: clearly is under incredible pressure from this administration at ABC,
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: but elsewhere as well, why do you think it's important
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: the exemption remains?
• 4:59
  Speaker 4: Yeah, and that's the point that you're making is the
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: right point here, which is we have an exemption to
• 5:04
  Speaker 4: the equal opportunities rule, which is really it just gives
• 5:07
  Speaker 4: candidates an opportunity to seek the opportunity to have equal
• 5:11
  Speaker 4: time when another candidate is on the program. But Congress
• 5:15
  Speaker 4: provided and the FCC provided and has provided for decades
• 5:19
  Speaker 4: what's called a bona fide news exemption, where something is
• 5:23
  Speaker 4: newsworthy or a bona fide news interview exemption is is
• 5:28
  Speaker 4: exempt from this equal opportunities role. And that has been
• 5:31
  Speaker 4: in place for decades. Nighttime programs like Jay Leno were
• 5:39
  Speaker 4: subject to this exemption. The View is subject to this exemption.
• 5:42
  Speaker 4: And it's all by action of the FCC. And so
• 5:46
  Speaker 4: this FCC is suddenly coming out with opinions that says,
• 5:50
  Speaker 4: we don't care about all this precedent. We're changing the rules.
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: without any due process for any of the stations. And
• 5:57
  Speaker 4: that is a problem. We are meddling in content that
• 5:59
  Speaker 4: we should not be meddling in, and it's a violation
• 6:02
  Speaker 4: of the First Amendment.
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: Well, it's interesting, you know, when you talk about news,
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: news comes first, right, when something's newsworthy. James Tallarico has
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: been deemed incredibly newsworthy because Texas and that race is
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: at the forefront of the control of the Senate conversation.
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: Right.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: And everything about that race and Trump backing Paxton, all
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: of it.
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: Right.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: So Tallarico has has become extraordinarily newsworthy. Now, Stephen Colbert,
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: maybe that's why in February he posted his interview with
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: Tallarico on YouTube. instead of his late night show on CBS.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Cited the same fears over violating FCC rules. That interview
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: on YouTube, though, got more than nine and a half
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: million views. So by the way, maybe that was a
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: good thing. Tallarico raised two and a half million dollars
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: in the 24 hours after it was pulled because of
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: all the publicity about getting pulled. So if the goal
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: for those at the FCC who are making these calls
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: is to silence someone like Tallarico or not have him
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: be on the main platform- Are they getting the opposite
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: of what they want?
• 7:04
  Speaker 4: Well, this administration really wants to mold the media in
• 7:08
  Speaker 4: the way that it wants it to be in really
• 7:11
  Speaker 4: its image. And I really worry that this kind of
• 7:15
  Speaker 4: self-editing is throughout broadcasts. Broadcasters across the country are really
• 7:22
  Speaker 4: afraid of retaliation from this administration. So we don't know.
• 7:25
  Speaker 4: We know what Jimmy Kimmel said. We know Jimmy Kimmel
• 7:28
  Speaker 4: said we don't want to put our local affiliate at risk,
• 7:30
  Speaker 4: so we're not going to broadcast this. But what are
• 7:33
  Speaker 4: other stations throughout the country doing because of this administration's pressure?
• 7:39
  Speaker 4: That is really problematic for the freedom of press and
• 7:42
  Speaker 4: the freedom of speech.
• 7:43
  Speaker 6: If you were to pick one Senate race and you
• 7:45
  Speaker 6: were to say on election night, this state goes one way,
• 7:48
  Speaker 6: that's the way Senate control is going to go, it
• 7:50
  Speaker 6: would probably be Texas. And let me tell you, I
• 7:52
  Speaker 6: think there's a real chance of history being made in Texas.
• 7:56
  Speaker 6: The polling at this point is as good for Democrats
• 7:59
  Speaker 6: as it has been at any point in this and
• 8:02
  Speaker 6: at this point in a campaign at any point this century.
• 8:05
  Speaker 6: This is the best Democratic poll for for running for
• 8:08
  Speaker 6: Senate for a Democrat from Texas.
• 8:10
  Speaker 5: Look at that.
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: Look at that.
• 8:11
  Speaker 6: This entire century. James Tallarico is a Univision you go
• 8:14
  Speaker 6: poll that was released in, I believe, the last 24 hours.
• 8:17
  Speaker 6: James Tallarico. up by five points in this poll. And
• 8:20
  Speaker 6: the reason why is look at among independents. James Tallarico
• 8:23
  Speaker 6: with a 36-point advantage. Donald Trump won this group by
• 8:27
  Speaker 6: one point back in 2024, and with that, won the state.
• 8:30
  Speaker 6: This is the reason why. is potentially a real history maker.
• 8:35
  Speaker 6: As John has said, this seat has been held by
• 8:38
  Speaker 6: a Republican this entire century. In fact, no Democrat has
• 8:41
  Speaker 6: won any Senate race in Texas since 1988.
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: Okay, so again, we say this is something that Democrats
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: have never seen in a Senate race in Texas this century.
• 8:52
  Speaker 3: You know, everyone will look back and say, hey, what
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: about 2018? Beto O'Rourke, didn't he do really well? Didn't
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: he come close? Wasn't everyone saying that he was going
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: to win?
• 9:00
  Speaker 6: This is not anywhere on the same planet as the
• 9:03
  Speaker 6: 2018 Senate race. And you can see it here, because
• 9:06
  Speaker 6: this is one poll, right? But let's just look at
• 9:08
  Speaker 6: all the polls that have been released so far, right?
• 9:11
  Speaker 6: The GOP is the clear leader in Texas Senate polls.
• 9:13
  Speaker 6: Most in 2026 have been quite close. We would say
• 9:16
  Speaker 6: no clear leader. In 2018, though, look at this. All
• 9:20
  Speaker 6: of the polls, Ted Cruz was the clear leader in
• 9:22
  Speaker 6: the Texas Senate polls through this point of campaign. So
• 9:25
  Speaker 6: far in this race, none of the polls has Ken
• 9:28
  Speaker 6: Paxton been ahead by such a margin that we could
• 9:31
  Speaker 6: call him the clear leader in that poll. All versus none.
• 9:34
  Speaker 6: These are on completely two different planets. It's about the
• 9:37
  Speaker 6: distance between El Paso and Houston. If you've ever driven
• 9:40
  Speaker 6: through Texas, that is quite a distance indeed.
• 9:42
  Speaker 3: The sun rises and sets, as they say in Texas.