ABC refuses to capitulate to Trump admin, fights FCC probe into The View
ABC refuses to capitulate to Trump admin, fights FCC probe into The View
ABC 拒绝向特朗普政府屈服，反击 FCC 对《观点》(The View) 的调查
ABC is fighting back against the Trump administration’s attempt to police broadcast television content, saying in a filing that the Federal Communications Commission is violating the First Amendment. Led by Chairman Brendan Carr, the FCC accused ABC’s The View of not complying with the equal-time rule, even though the interview portions of talk shows have historically been exempt from the rule requiring equal time for opposing political candidates. ABC 正在反击特朗普政府对广播电视内容的监管企图，并在提交的文件中表示，联邦通信委员会（FCC）的行为违反了美国宪法第一修正案。在主席布伦丹·卡尔（Brendan Carr）的领导下，FCC 指控 ABC 的《观点》节目未遵守“平等时间原则”（equal-time rule），尽管脱口秀节目的访谈部分在历史上一直被豁免于要求为对立政治候选人提供平等时间的规定。
The FCC also opened an unusual review of ABC’s broadcast licenses one day after the president and First Lady Melania Trump called on ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel over a recent joke. An ABC filing that was made public today said the FCC exceeded its authority in actions that “threaten to upend decades of settled law and practice and chill critical protected speech, both with respect to The View and more broadly.” 在总统和第一夫人梅拉尼娅·特朗普因吉米·坎摩尔（Jimmy Kimmel）最近的一个笑话而要求 ABC 将其解雇的第二天，FCC 对 ABC 的广播执照展开了一项不同寻常的审查。ABC 今天公开的一份文件称，FCC 的行为越权，并“威胁要颠覆数十年来已确立的法律和实践，并压制关键的受保护言论，这不仅针对《观点》节目，也影响到更广泛的领域。”
The filing is primarily in response to the equal-time investigation, but ABC also seems determined to fight the larger license review. ABC said in its filing that in 2002, the FCC confirmed that The View qualifies as a bona fide news program and is thus exempt from the equal-time rule, also known as the equal-opportunities rule. 这份文件主要是针对“平等时间”调查的回应，但 ABC 似乎也决心对抗更大范围的执照审查。ABC 在文件中表示，FCC 曾在 2002 年确认《观点》节目符合“真实新闻节目”的资格，因此豁免于“平等时间原则”（也称为“平等机会原则”）。
Programs are not required to obtain exemptions, but ABC chose to file a petition for declaratory ruling in 2000 because The View was planning to invite more political candidates onto the show. The FCC Media Bureau recently ordered an ABC station to file a new petition for declaratory ruling on The View‘s status. ABC said the FCC bureau lacks the authority to make that demand. But ABC did file a petition to lay out its case that the FCC is overstepping its authority and violating the First Amendment rights of broadcasters. 节目本身无需申请豁免，但 ABC 在 2000 年选择提交一份宣告性判决申请，因为当时《观点》计划邀请更多政治候选人上节目。FCC 媒体局最近要求一家 ABC 附属电视台就《观点》的节目地位提交新的宣告性判决申请。ABC 表示，FCC 媒体局无权提出这一要求。不过，ABC 确实提交了一份请愿书，阐述了 FCC 越权并侵犯广播公司第一修正案权利的立场。
ABC isn’t backing down this time
ABC 此番不再退缩
“Some may dislike certain—or even most—of the viewpoints expressed on The View or similar shows,” ABC said. “Such dislike, however, cannot justify using regulatory processes to restrict those views… The danger is that the government will simply decide which perspectives to regulate and which to leave undisturbed. In fact, while the Commission now questions The View’s decades-long exemption, it has not expressed any inclination to apply a similar interpretation of the equal opportunities rule to other broadcasters, including the many voices—conservative and liberal—on broadcast radio.” “有些人可能不喜欢《观点》或类似节目中表达的某些——甚至大部分——观点，”ABC 表示，“然而，这种不喜欢并不能成为利用监管程序来限制这些观点的理由……危险在于，政府将简单地决定哪些观点需要监管，哪些可以不受干扰。事实上，虽然委员会现在质疑《观点》节目长达数十年的豁免权，但它并未表现出将类似的‘平等机会原则’解释应用于其他广播公司的倾向，包括广播电台上许多保守派和自由派的声音。”
ABC, which is owned by Disney, briefly suspended Kimmel last year after a previous threat by Carr. ABC separately agreed to a $15 million payment to settle a lawsuit that Trump filed in 2024 over statements made by George Stephanopoulos. This time, ABC isn’t backing down. Legal experts have said the law is on ABC’s side if it chooses to fight. 隶属于迪士尼的 ABC 去年在卡尔发出威胁后曾短暂暂停了坎摩尔的节目。ABC 此前还同意支付 1500 万美元，以和解特朗普在 2024 年因乔治·斯特凡诺普洛斯（George Stephanopoulos）的言论而提起的诉讼。这一次，ABC 没有退缩。法律专家表示，如果 ABC 选择抗争，法律站在它这一边。
Several free speech advocacy groups cheered ABC’s decision to fight today. “ABC’s refusal to quietly allow the federal government to dictate the range of viewpoints it may air without fear of retaliation is welcome and commendable,” said Will Creeley, legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). 多个言论自由倡导团体对 ABC 今天决定抗争的举动表示赞赏。“ABC 拒绝默默允许联邦政府在不惧怕报复的情况下决定其可播出的观点范围，这是值得欢迎和称赞的，”个人权利与表达基金会（FIRE）法律总监威尔·克里利（Will Creeley）表示。
“The Federal Communications Commission is not and cannot become the nation’s censor-in-chief, as its chairman once recognized.” Freedom of the Press Foundation Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern said, “The legal theories the FCC asserts against broadcast licensees are frivolous and unconstitutional, and FCC Chair Brendan Carr knows it, but he hopes broadcast licensees will nonetheless self-censor rather than pick a fight. It’s about time news outlets start telling Carr and his Donald Trump lapel pin to kick rocks.” “联邦通信委员会不是，也不可能成为国家的首席审查官，其主席曾经也认识到这一点。”新闻自由基金会倡导主管塞斯·斯特恩（Seth Stern）表示：“FCC 对广播执照持有者所主张的法律理论是轻率且违宪的，FCC 主席布伦丹·卡尔心知肚明，但他希望广播公司能因此自我审查，而不是选择抗争。新闻机构是时候告诉卡尔和他那枚唐纳德·特朗普徽章‘滚一边去’了。”
“ABC has finally learned”
“ABC 终于学乖了”
Media advocacy group Free Press said ABC seems to have learned from past mistakes. “I’m pleased that ABC has finally learned that bullies don’t stop when companies cower in a corner,” Free Press co-CEO Jessica González said. 媒体倡导组织“自由新闻”（Free Press）表示，ABC 似乎从过去的错误中吸取了教训。“我很高兴 ABC 终于明白，当公司蜷缩在角落里时，霸凌者是不会停止的，”自由新闻联合首席执行官杰西卡·冈萨雷斯（Jessica González）说。
González said that Carr’s attacks on media are “startling and unpopular across the political spectrum. After Donald and Melania Trump demanded that ABC fire Jimmy Kimmel for making a joke they didn’t like, Carr announced that he would conduct an early review of ABC’s broadcast licenses—an abuse of power that Senator Ted Cruz and people of all political stripes condemned.” 冈萨雷斯表示，卡尔对媒体的攻击“令人震惊，且在整个政治光谱中都不受欢迎。在唐纳德和梅拉尼娅·特朗普要求 ABC 解雇因开了一个他们不喜欢的玩笑的吉米·坎摩尔后，卡尔宣布将对 ABC 的广播执照进行提前审查——这是一种连参议员泰德·克鲁兹（Ted Cruz）和各派政治人士都谴责的滥用权力行为。”
Anna Gomez, the FCC’s only Democrat, said the public will remember “who complied in advance and who fought back. I’m glad Disney is choosing courage over capitulation.” FCC 唯一的民主党人安娜·戈麦斯（Anna Gomez）表示，公众会记住“谁提前顺从了，谁进行了反击。我很高兴迪士尼选择了勇气，而不是屈服。”
The filing for ABC was submitted by attorney Paul Clement, who served as US solicitor general under President George W. Bush; and Jennifer Tatel, who was an FCC lawyer during the Obama administration and for part of Trump’s first term. Tatel was promoted to acting general counsel in 2017 by then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who said she “is known for her legal acumen, FCC expertise, and careful judgment.” ABC 的这份文件由律师保罗·克莱门特（Paul Clement）提交，他曾在乔治·W·布什总统任内担任美国副总检察长；另一位提交者是詹妮弗·塔特尔（Jennifer Tatel），她曾在奥巴马政府和特朗普第一任期内担任 FCC 律师。塔特尔于 2017 年被时任 FCC 主席阿吉特·派（Ajit Pai）提拔为代理总法律顾问，派当时称她“以法律敏锐度、FCC 专业知识和审慎的判断力而闻名”。
ABC’s filing said that The View still meets all of the qualifications for a bona fide news program and that there is no basis for overturning the 2002 order. “Nevertheless, at the end of March, the Media Bureau ordered KTRK Television [a Houston-based ABC station] to file another Petition for Declaratory Ruling regarding The View’s status as a bona fide news interview program,” ABC said. “In parallel, on April 28, 2026, the Media Bureau issued an extraordinary order demanding the early filing of all of ABC’s license renewal applications, including for KTRK-TV.” ABC 的文件称，《观点》节目仍然符合“真实新闻节目”的所有资格，且没有理由推翻 2002 年的命令。“然而，在 3 月底，媒体局命令 KTRK 电视台（一家位于休斯顿的 ABC 附属台）就《观点》作为真实新闻访谈节目的地位再次提交宣告性判决申请，”ABC 表示，“与此同时，2026 年 4 月 28 日，媒体局发布了一项非同寻常的命令，要求提前提交 ABC 所有执照的续期申请，包括 KTRK-TV。”
Although the license review has been widely seen as retaliation against ABC for employing Kimmel, the FCC says it is related to a yearlong investigation into ABC potentially violating anti-discrimination rules with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. ABC’s filing said the company has provided over 11,000 pages of documents and extensive answers to questions for the FCC probe. The FCC called ABC’s response inadequate in an order instructing Disney to file early license renewal applications for all of its licensed TV stations by May 28. 尽管执照审查被广泛视为对 ABC 聘用坎摩尔的报复，但 FCC 声称这与一项针对 ABC 在多元化、公平和包容性（DEI）实践中可能违反反歧视规则的长期调查有关。ABC 的文件称，公司已为 FCC 的调查提供了超过 11,000 页的文件和详尽的问题解答。FCC 在一份命令中称 ABC 的回应不充分，并指示迪士尼在 5 月 28 日之前为其所有持牌电视台提交提前执照续期申请。