Disney is facing criticism after asserting that “The View” falls under the category of a news program, drawing skepticism from some who find the claim as outlandish as a Disney character.
In a recent development, Disney and its affiliate, Houston’s KTRK-TV, submitted a request to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This petition seeks to have “The View” officially recognized as a “bona fide news” show, a move disclosed by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Saturday.
“Disney contends that ‘The View’ meets the criteria for ‘bona fide news’ as defined by law, aligning it with established programs like ‘Meet The Press’ or ‘Face The Nation,'” Carr stated in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.
This action follows an FCC investigation that began in February. The probe was initiated after “The View” interviewed James Talarico, a Democratic US Senate candidate from Texas, raising questions about potential breaches of the “equal time” provisions.
Under the Communications Act of 1934, a relic of the New Deal era, the “statutory equal opportunities requirement” mandates that if a political candidate appears on a television program, their opponent must also be afforded the opportunity to appear for an equivalent duration.
The FCC announced in February that it would reinterpret the law to include late-night and daytime talk shows.
News programs are exempt from equal time rules.
Critics say that calling the daytime talk show, which routinely involves its four female hosts screaming over each other, a “bona fide” news program is so outrageous it would cause Pinocchio’s nose to grow for miles on end.
“Disney argues that The View qualifies as ‘bona fide news’ under the law. I stopped there because I was laughing so hard,” X user Nick Mclarty posted.
The FCC chairman asked the public to opine about whether “The View” is a news show, writing “The FCC welcomes your views.”
The program, which is hosted by an all-female panel consisting of Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro, has long used its platform to bash Republicans and President Trump.
Behar recently accused Trump of wanting “toddler white nationalists” in an unhinged discussion, apparently in reference to comments from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz about “Trump babies.”
“When they say ‘more Trump babies,’ what does that mean?” Behar asked on a May 12 broadcast.
Hostin, a longtime Trump basher, chimed in and claimed the term implies “[Trump] wants American-born, white children.”
In a May 14 edition of the program, Goldberg spiraled over Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt’s sudden surge in popularity.
“Just because somebody is famous or is famous for something doesn’t mean they know what’s going on and how you are thinking and how you’re feeling,” Goldberg said without a trace of irony.
“The Sister Act” star regularly refers to the president as “you know who” instead of naming him, and accused the president in April of “destroying the White House,” with his ballroom construction.
“Under FCC case law, tv shows do not qualify as ‘bona fide news’ if their decisions are based on partisan purposes, such as an intention to advance or harm an individual’s candidacy,” Carr wrote in his X post.
Behar said she thinks the administration is deliberately harming Americans during an April discussion about Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s policies.
“Sometimes, I feel like they’re trying to kill us,” she said.