House Speaker Johnson Accuses CBS of Editing Interview

story

OCT 16 2024

Above: US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) during a news conference after a House Republican Caucus meeting at the US Capitol on Sept. 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. Image copyright: Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images via Getty Images Newsstory last updated OCT 17 2024

The Facts

GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has accused CBS News of intentionally misleading its viewers by cutting parts of his interview with the news outlet.
Posting on social media platform X, Speaker Johnson claimed that CBS had cut five "important minutes" of a "nearly 15 minute interview' as part of an alleged attempt to "promote Democrats" in a bias against Republicans.
In a thread, Johnson posted side-by-side comparisons of clips edited by CBS versus the Speaker's full answers. The passages cut out by CBS contained discussions of a Biden administration lawsuit against Virginia election laws and the House's passing of the SAVE Act.

The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

CBS's editorial scandals are another example of establishment media purposely attempting to mislead and manipulate the American people. It's clear that mainstream news cannot be trusted, and CBS' actions are indicative of how far journalistic ethics have fallen in recent years. Broadcasting licenses must be removed for so-called "news" outlets that intentionally seek to deceive their audiences, or at least they should be investigated for campaign finance violations.

The Western Journal Conservative Brief

Pro-establishment narrative

While it may or may not be unethical, it's not illegal for CBS to edit its interviews in the way that it has, and to call for the cancelation of broadcasting licenses or investigations is a step too far. Whether we like it or not, CBS's behavior is protected by the First Amendment's freedom of the press, and to begin a political witch-hunt against media outlets who we do not agree with is a slippery slope that the US should avoid.

WashingtonExaminer.com