Tensions between the Trump administration and the media escalated further after major US broadcasters declined to air President Donald Trump's national address live, AP and Reuters reported on the 16th local time.
According to the reports, among the three major networks, ABC and NBC, along with news channel CNN, did not broadcast Trump's address live on television. The address took place at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on the 16th (10 a.m. Korea time on the 17th).
ABC and NBC maintained their regular programming, including a quiz show and an animal program, respectively, while airing portions of the address midway through. CNN kept its regular program hosted by anchor Kaitlan Collins. Instead, these networks broadcast the address live through their own streaming platforms and mobile websites, which have relatively lower public accessibility.
CBS, one of the three major networks, began its live broadcast several minutes after the address started. In US broadcasting, it is customary for major networks to simultaneously air a president's prime-time address when it contains important policy or a message to the nation. Pro-Trump broadcasters such as Fox aired the address live.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized the importance of the address at an earlier briefing, saying "broadcasters should air it live and the American people should watch it," but her call went unheeded.
Trump signaled retaliation. During the address, targeting the broadcasters that were not airing it live, he said they "use billions of dollars worth of public airwaves for free but do not report honestly," and that "their broadcast licenses should be revoked."
Media experts assessed that broadcasters have the right to decide for themselves what to air under the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of expression, and analyzed that the incident is intertwined with the struggle of broadcasters currently in conflict with the Trump administration.
Disney, the parent company of ABC, is currently under investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over matters including whether its daytime talk show "The View" violated broadcasting regulations.
The FCC could begin proceedings as early as next month to revoke the broadcast licenses of eight ABC stations owned by Disney, according to reports. The FCC is also investigating the diversity policies of NBC and its parent company Comcast.
In the address, Trump claimed that circumstances had emerged showing China had broadly intervened in the 2020 US presidential election, which he lost, in an attempt to influence the results. Ahead of the address, some Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, urged broadcasters not to air it live, citing the possibility that Trump would repeat false claims.
