In recent times, there has been noticeable grumbling from conservative circles regarding the editing practices for televised interviews. A notable instance was Donald Trump’s massive “$20 billion” legal action against 60 Minutes, stemming from his outrage over the editing of Kamala Harris’ responses during an interview. Trump claimed, rather extravagantly, that he faced billions in damages due to this edit, arguing it was unfair competition against his social media platform, TruthSocial.

This trend of complaints has continued, even though the parent company, Paramount, acquiesced to Trump’s demands. Previously, CBS News would counter such criticisms by posting complete videos and transcripts online, giving the audience the chance to form their own opinions about the edits. However, following intensified scrutiny from governmental corridors, Face The Nation has now decided to broadcast interviews in their entirety, either live or as live-to-tape.

The trigger for this policy shift in the long-standing news show seems to be the strong conservative reaction to last Sunday’s interview featuring Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security. Noem made several unverified assertions regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland local who was mistakenly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador six months ago due to a bureaucratic blunder. Noem aligned her remarks closely with the administration’s narrative that the deportation, though a clerical error, was fortuitous, labeling Abrego Garcia as an MS-13 gang member, a domestic abuser, and possibly a pedophile—claims unsubstantiated by legal proof and consequently omitted from the broadcast version of Face The Nation. The complete interview and transcript were later uploaded online with an explanatory note regarding the edits, but this move was met with GOP accusations of “whitewashing the truth.”

In light of these complaints, Face The Nation released a statement today (as reported by Deadline):

Following feedback from our viewers over the past week, we have adopted a new policy to enhance transparency in our interviews. Face The Nation will now exclusively air interviews either live or as live-to-tape, barring national security or legal constraints. This change ensures that our television audience will view the complete, unedited interview on CBS, and we will maintain our practice of making full transcripts and unedited videos available online.

While the move to broadcast unedited interviews may seem straightforward, it potentially increases the platform for dishonesty on air. If a guest makes an unfounded claim, it now becomes a more significant challenge for the interviewer and their team to address this in real-time, or they risk letting these claims enter the public discourse unchecked. This represents another dent in the shield of journalistic integrity, which, as we move into the latter part of 2025, is beginning to show considerable wear.