From Harris to MS-13: CBS’s Habit of Editing the Truth

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   Sharlee01posted 35 hours ago

   As usual, CBS grabs a word, strips away the context, and edits out anything that doesn’t fit their spin. Thank you, CBS, for once again handing the public a textbook example of fake news.”
   
   
   CBS is up to the same old, same old, editing out very pertinent facts to protect their preferred narrative. This is the same network that got caught red-handed during the Kamala Harris interview scandal, when her infamous “word salad” answer mysteriously vanished from one airing, only to resurface in another. Donald Trump didn’t let that slide; he sued CBS for election interference and walked away with a massive settlement. You’d think CBS would learn from its mistakes. Clearly, they haven’t.
   
   On Sunday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem accused CBS of doing what they do best: cherry-picking her words to soften the truth and keep their viewers from hearing what she really said about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 gang member with a horrifying record. Noem went on social media after her Face the Nation appearance, saying, “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.”
   
   What CBS actually aired looked almost sanitized. Viewers heard Noem give a bland statement about pending charges and DOJ decisions: “Prosecution decisions are always made by the Department of Justice and Pam Bondi’s department, so we will let them do that… 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.” Then CBS quickly cut away and moved on.
   
   What did they leave out? Only the part that really mattered. In the full, uncut version, Noem warned, “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.”
   
   Those are explosive charges that speak to the severity of the threat. But CBS viewers never got to hear them, at least not in the broadcast version. CBS later claimed the interview was “edited for time” and insisted it met “all network standards.” That’s the same cookie-cutter excuse they used when Trump exposed their Harris editing scandal. The problem is, CBS always seems to cut “for time” in ways that just so happen to protect Democrats or downplay ugly truths.
   
   Meanwhile, Garcia’s lawyers are scrambling to keep their client from being defined by these allegations. They’ve asked a judge for a gag order to stop Trump officials like Noem from labeling him a gang member, child predator, or abuser. But the facts are hard to ignore. This is a man who illegally entered the U.S. over a decade ago, avoided deportation due to claims of “persecution,” and was even mistakenly deported to El Salvador earlier this year despite a Supreme Court order. He’s now facing federal charges for transporting illegal immigrants.
   
   But notice the bigger picture here: instead of focusing on the reality of a dangerous individual with ties to gangs and a history of vile behavior, CBS chose to air a watered-down answer that stripped out the worst of it. This is how narratives are shaped, by omission.
   
   And again, it’s not the first time. Remember, Paramount and CBS coughed up a fortune this summer to settle Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit after they edited Harris’s fumbling response about Netanyahu. Trump secured $16 million upfront plus other financial commitments to support conservative causes, proof that even in court, CBS’s games don’t hold up under scrutiny.
   
   So here we are again. A new administration official, a new controversy, and CBS doing exactly what got them burned before. Instead of learning from their mistakes, they’re repeating them. Instead of reporting the truth unfiltered, they’re protecting their own narrative. And once more, it’s the American public that loses.

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2. 61

   Willowarborposted 33 hours ago

   Well I just went straight to AI with this one...
   
   Here is a breakdown of the specific claims made in the quote and their factual status, based on recent court documents and reporting:
   
   
   Claim: "Known human smuggler"
   Status: Partially true. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was indicted by a grand jury on charges related to human smuggling. However, his lawyers have argued that the charges were vindictive, and he is charged with smuggling, not the more serious offense of human trafficking. This has not been adjudicated in any Court as of today.
   
   Claim: "MS-13 gang member"
   Status: Disputed. Federal judges in 2025 have disputed or rejected the government's claim that Garcia is a member of MS-13.
   Evidence: The government's evidence for this claim relied heavily on unreliable sources, including a confidential informant and Garcia's clothing. A federal judge wrote in a July 2025 order that concluding Garcia was a gang member would require "so many inferences" that the "conclusion would border on fanciful". Garcia and his lawyers have repeatedly denied he is in a gang.
   
   Claim: "Wife beater"
   Status: Disputed. Garcia's wife filed protective orders against him in 2020 and 2021, alleging physical abuse. She has since told news outlets that the couple worked through their issues and she doesn't support the administration's claims. She has also stated that the prior protective orders do not justify the government's actions against him.
   
   Claim: "Solicited nude photos from minors"
   Status: Unsubstantiated and not charged. A government detention motion mentioned an allegation from a co-conspirator that Garcia had solicited nude photos from a minor. However, the motion also explicitly stated that no charges had been filed related to this.
   
   Claim: "Fellow human traffickers told him to knock it off"
   Status: Unverified. This specific detail does not appear in publicly available court filings or reliable news reports.

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      Sharlee01posted 30 hours agoin reply to this

      You diverted from the issue. This thread is about CBS cutting an interview to push a narrative. I’m not here to discuss Kilmar Abrego Garcia or Governor Noem’s accusations. The point I was making is that this is a textbook example of Fake News. People need to realize how often we’re being fed manipulated stories,  and CBS just served up another one.
      
      I’m not going to weigh in on the man or his legal troubles; that’s for the courts to handle, and I’ll trust them to do what’s right and lawful.

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         Willowarborposted 30 hours agoin reply to this

         AI debunked the quotes that were in question, raised in the initial post. Why would CBS include such information? Why would any reputable organization include her statements?   If the woman wanted her bunk broadcast, she should have gone to Fox...

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3. 61

   Willowarborposted 30 hours ago

   Also AI
   
   "The cuts: About four minutes of the total interview were removed, including sections where Noem made unproven allegations against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national at the center of a high-profile deportation case.
   
   ..during her August 31, 2025, "Face the Nation" interview with CBS, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem made claims about Kilmar Abrego Garcia that have been disputed or are not fully substantiated.
   
   So what was CBS supposed to do? 
   
   BUT ...CBS has the entirety of her interview up on YouTube.

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   1. 84

      Sharlee01posted 27 hours agoin reply to this

      Again, I will let the courts handle this migrant. Again, I trust they will be the final say on his innocence or guilt. 
      
      I am more disturbed by CBS cutting the interview. Editing can completely change how the public perceives a person’s statements, especially when it involves serious accusations like the ones Noem made. Even if CBS says it was “for time,” it raises the question of why they cut the very details that framed her argument. That kind of selective editing doesn’t just shorten, it shapes the narrative. When news outlets edit out key context, it feeds into the perception that they’re not just reporting but actively managing what people see and hear. To me, that’s where trust really breaks down. If networks want to preserve credibility, they should air the full remarks and let viewers judge for themselves rather than trimming away the parts they find don't fit a narrative.

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         Willowarborposted 27 hours agoin reply to this

         "Again, I will let the courts handle this migrant. Again, I trust they will be the final say on his innocence or guilt.
         
         Kristi should probably have the same attitude or restrict her performances to the fox platform where they'll let anything fly.
         
         "I am more disturbed by CBS cutting the interview. Editing can completely change how the public perceives a person’s statements, especially when it involves serious accusations like the ones Noem made.
         
         And you're not concerned that she would make accusations that are unfounded and unsupported as of yet by a court of law?   Are you suggesting that anyone given television time should be able to let it rip with any sort of accusation they'd like to sling?
         
         I've already provided the AI response to her statements that were cut... I think it's irresponsible of any outlet to platform untrue or unsubstantiated accusations.
         
         Kristi is saying these hyperbolic unsupported things to shape the narrative.... She made unproven allegations and that is the real crux of the matter.... Has zero to do with Garcia.

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   Ken Burgessposted 27 hours ago

   Speaking of not telling the truth... this is a good clip about how the Biden Administration lied about jobs created, and other things related to why Trump is firing all the Biden appointees (little late IMO... they should have cleaned them all out by now)... anyways, timestamped to relevant info:
   
   https://youtu.be/Z1FWjfRAejs?t=168

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      Willowarborposted 27 hours agoin reply to this

      I couldn't get past the first minute where the guy is claiming that the Biden Administration just made up job numbers.... TOTAL BS
      
      Just the facts from AI...
      
      Yes, monthly U.S. jobs numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are revised twice after their initial release, and these revisions are a normal and necessary part of the statistical process for improving accuracy. The initial report is based on incomplete data from a monthly payroll survey of employers, so revisions are made in subsequent months as more data from the survey and more comprehensive records become available. An annual benchmark revision also incorporates even more complete information from unemployment insurance records, making these revisions a key method for balancing timeliness and accuracy in economic reporting.

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5. 61

   Willowarborposted 27 hours ago

   When Trump Administration folks are interviewed, a live fact check needs to be happening concurrently.  That's really the only reasonable way to handle these people.  Some but not all networks have the capability.   I think it's crucial that we're getting truthful and accurate information.

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6. 67

   IslandBitesposted 7 hours ago

   In U.S. law, media outlets can be held liable for defamation if they:
   
   Publish or republish false, defamatory statements,
   Do so with actual malice (i.e., knowledge that the statement is false or with reckless disregard for the truth),
   Even if the statement was originally made by someone else.
   
   Ask FOXNews.

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