CBS Changes Policy for ‘Face the Nation’ Interviews After Kristi Noem Interview

The change comes months after CBS parent Paramount paid $16 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit over edits to a ‘60 Minutes’ interview with Kamala Harris.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testifies before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Capitol Hill on May 20, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

CBS News has announced that it will no longer edit guest interviews on its flagship Sunday program, “Face the Nation,” and that it is moving to a live or live-to-tape format following days of criticism over its handling of a sit-down with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The change comes after Noem accused the network of “shamefully” cutting portions of her Aug. 31 interview in order to “whitewash the truth.”

The Department of Homeland Security stated that the broadcaster removed more than 23 percent of her answers “exposing the truth about criminal illegal alien Kilmar Abrego Garcia, President Donald Trump’s lawful actions to protect the American people, and Secretary Noem’s commitment to fight on behalf of the American people and their tax dollars.”

CBS initially defended its actions, saying the unedited version was posted online, but the backlash continued to grow on social media and beyond. Noem and others circulated clips of the missing passages online and accused the network of trying to manipulate public opinion by withholding harsh truths, such as when Noem said Abrego Garcia was a “known human smuggler, MS-13 gang member, an individual who was a wife beater.”

Then, on Sept. 5, CBS stated that it would now only broadcast live or live-to-tape interviews, meaning that guests’ answers will not be edited in any way, except in situations in which legal or national security reasons require it. The broadcaster stated that it was changing its editorial policy “in response to audience feedback.”

“This extra measure means that the television audience will see the full, unedited interview on CBS and that we will continue our practice of posting full transcripts and the unedited video online,” a CBS spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement.

The Noem interview is the second time in less than a year that CBS has figured into disputes over alleged selective editing. In fall 2024, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump filed suit against CBS, alleging that a “60 Minutes” interview with Democratic challenger and then-Vice President Kamala Harris had been manipulated to improve her image and boost her chances in the 2024 election.

CBS defended the editing of the Harris interview, saying transcripts and videos of the full interview show that the broadcast “was not doctored or deceitful.” The uncut transcript shows that some of Harris’s answers were cut in half. It also revealed her full response to a question about the Israel–Hamas war, which Trump’s campaign alleged was deceptively edited to make her look better to potential voters.

Later, Trump amended his complaint to include CBS parent company Paramount Global as a defendant and double the amount of damages sought to $20 billion.

Paramount ultimately settled that case in July for $16 million while denying any wrongdoing.