CBS Changes Interview Policy After Noem Backlash

CBS News announced Friday it will change the way "Face the Nation" handles interviews and the program will only broadcast live, or live-to-tape, interviews moving forward.

The surprise announcement comes on the heels of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accusing CBS News of editing her interview Sunday to "whitewash the truth" about an alleged MS-13 gang member. It also arrives months after the company settled President Donald Trump’s "election interference" lawsuit in July that accused CBS News of deceptive editing.

"In response to audience feedback over the past week, we have implemented a new policy for greater transparency in our interviews. ‘Face the Nation’ will now only broadcast live or live-to-tape interviews (subject to national security or legal restrictions). This extra measure means the television audience will see the full, unedited interview on CBS, and we will continue our practice of posting full transcripts and the unedited video online," a CBS News spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

On Sunday, Noem blasted CBS after her interview aired on "Face the Nation."

"I joined CBS to report the facts about Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Instead, CBS shamefully edited the interview to whitewash the truth about this MS-13 gang member and the threat he poses to American public safety," Noem wrote alongside video clips to back up her point.

In the clip that aired on television, Noem said, "Prosecution decisions are always made by the Department of Justice and Pam Bondi’s department, so we will let them do that, although this individual does have criminal charges pending. He has charges pending against him civilly as well. And the one thing that we will continue to do is to make sure that he doesn’t walk free in the United States of America."

The on-air portion edited out the rest of her answer and went to moderator Ed O’Keefe’s next question about whether the government would still seek to deport him to Uganda.

Noem posted her "uncut response" online, noting it had been excluded from the broadcast. The full interview, however, remained available on the show’s YouTube page.

"This individual was a known human smuggler, an MS-13 gang member, and an individual who is a wife beater, and someone who is so perverted that he solicited nude photos from minors and even his fellow human traffickers told him to knock it off. He was so sick in what he was doing and how he was treating small children. So, he needs to never be in the United States of America, and our administration is making sure we’re doing all that we can," Noem said.

At the time, CBS insisted the process met the network's standards.

"Secretary Noem’s 'Face the Nation' interview was edited for time and met all CBS News standards," a CBS News spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Monday.

As for the Trump settlement, the president was seeking $20 billion in his lawsuit against CBS over its handling of a "60 Minutes" interview last year with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing the network of election interference leading up to the 2024 contest.

The lawsuit alleged CBS News edited an exchange Harris had with "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker, who asked her why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn't "listening" to the Biden administration. Harris was widely mocked for the "word salad" answer that aired in a preview clip of the interview on "Face the Nation."

However, when the same question aired during a primetime special on the network, Harris had a different, more concise response. Critics at the time accused CBS News of editing Harris' answer to shield the Democratic nominee from backlash leading up to Election Day.

Trump agreed to receive $16 million upfront to cover legal fees, costs of the case, and contributions to his future presidential library or charitable causes. The president has said another allocation in the eight figures has been set aside for advertisements, public service announcements or other similar transmissions, in support of conservative causes by the network in the future.