ABC and Disney accuse the Trump administration of violating their First Amendment rights

Network asks FCC to “affirm its longstanding approach to the bona fide news interview exemption” for daytime talk show The viewThe agency’s support for “public interest services provided by broadcasters.” ABC says a series of actions by the FCC “suggest that the Commission is implementing significant shifts in policy and practice,” and that this “requires the work of the full Commission and the oversight of the courts.” The agency’s big shifts allegedly include an attempt to reconsider the FCC’s previous finding. The view is a bona fide news program that qualifies for an exception to the rule requiring equal airtime for political candidates, and Require ABC to submit license renewal applications early In the midst of an investigation into Disney’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. The FCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Uncertainty about the scope of broadcast licensees’ editorial authority threatens to limit news coverage of political candidates and undermine First Amendment-protected speech for years and perhaps decades to come,” the network wrote in the filing. “As the 2026 midterm elections approach, the American people need more access to political news and more exposure to political candidates, not less.”

The charges contained in A Deposit The report, due Thursday, marks a shift from previous disagreements between the network and the Trump administration. Disney-owned network Pulled briefly Jimmy Kimmel Live! Out of the air Last year after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened to revoke the broadcast licenses of stations that aired him following a prank the late-night host made in the wake of the killing of conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk. Before President Donald Trump resumes power, so will ABC He agreed to pay $15 million To settle a defamation suit he brought on air, host George Stephanopoulos’ characterization of the jury’s findings against Trump.

ABC suggests that the FCC selectively enforced which programs to follow, focusing on daytime and late-night talk shows and not “declaredly partisan talk radio.” While you say the FCC is right not to scrutinize conservative radio shows e.g Mark Levin Show and Glenn Beck Program The way she has view, “Such apparent disparity in the treatment of broadcasters who should be subject to the same treatment under the law raises serious concerns about viewpoint discrimination and retaliatory targeting.”

The case will be a high-profile test for Disney New CEO Josh D’Amarowho previously oversaw businesses such as theme parks and a cruise line, succeeds longtime leader Bob Iger. The ABC filing was signed by famed Supreme Court prosecutor and solicitor general of former President George W. Bush Paul Clement.

Although broadcast news is far from the primary way Americans get their information, the network warns that narrowing the FCC’s previous approach to news exemptions “would risk restricting political speech exactly when it is needed most. While candidates are always able to connect with voters via cable, podcasts, and social media, specifically requiring airtime for all eligible candidates does not expand the scope of speech; instead, it makes coverage inaccessible, which ultimately reduces it.”