August 1, 2025 • 26 mins
In a chilling interview, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez is sounding the alarm about government censorship, the Trump administration’s attacks on the First Amendment and what this means for the rights of all Americans.
In this episode, Gomez sits down with host Maria Hinojosa to talk about how the federal government is pressuring media companies to bend to its will, how growing up in Colombia shaped her into the woman she is, and why she’s willing to fight for Democracy, even if it means losing her job at the FCC.
Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Dear, let you know USA listener.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Before we start, you should know that if you want
to listen to this episode ad free, just join plus
and you can join for as little as seven dollars
a month. Joining also gets you behind the scenes access
and yes, some cheese may so click the link in
the episode description and after you do that, then click play.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Let's go to the show.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Turns out it is quite easy to sell out your
principles for pure profit.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
That is Anna Gomez.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
She's a sitting commissioner at the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Unchecked and unquestioned power has no rightful place in America.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Gomez is speaking to a room of journalists who are
lined up in front of her. Directly behind her is
an American flag at just five foot two inches tall.
Ana Gomez's words pack a very mighty punch.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
I believe the public has a right to know how
the government's First Amendment violations drove Paramount's capitulation.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
The FCC just finished their monthly open meeting at their
headquarters in Washington, d C. And Gomez is expressing concerns
about a possible merger between Paramount and sky Dance. Paramount
owns CBS and CBS News and sky Dance Media is
an American production and finance company.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Paramounts payout and the approval of their transaction would only
embolden those who believe the government can and should abuse
its power to extract financial and ideological concessions, demand favored treatment,
and secure positive media coverage. That's a terrifying thought.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Soon after the FCC approved the merger with two votes
in favor, Gomez, the only Democrat within the FCC's top ranks,
voted against the deal. Commissioner Gomez and other critics believe
that Paramount caved to several demands by the Trump administration
(02:28):
in order to get this deal approved. Commissioner Gomez has
become one of the strongest voices against the Trump administration,
regardless of personal risks.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
I'm not worried about myself. When I was sworn in,
I swore to up pulled the Constitution. As I have
said before, if I get fired, it's not because I
didn't do my job. It's because I insisted on doing it.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
From Futuro Media, it's Latino USA. I'm Marie Nkosa.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Today I sit down with FCC Commissioner Ana Gomez. We
talk about the Trump administration and it's ongoing to tax
on the First Amendment. The Trump administration's attacks on the
media have injected themselves in the cultural zeitgeist. They're popping
(03:30):
up everywhere.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
The fallout continues after CBS announced that it's canceling The
Late Show after a three decade run, citing financial issues
at the network. The suspiciously timed cancelation came just three
days after show hosts Stephen Colbert spoke out against a
CBS settling a lawsuit with President Trump for sixteen million dollars,
calling it quote a big fat bribe.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
The thing about him.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
Is that he's so jealous of Obama, because Obama is
everything that he is not.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
The White House chose to respond to that, and this
is what they said.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Joy Behar is an irrelevant loser.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
She should self reflect on our own jealousy of President
Trump's historic popularity before her show is the next to
be pulled off air.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
The White House is firing back at Comedy Central South
Park after the season premiere. The episode Wednesday included a
scene showing President Trump lying in bed with Satan. On Thursday,
a White House spokesperson issued a statement saying quote South
Park hasn't been relevant for more than twenty years.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
The FCC under this administration has opened questionable investigations into
many of the big media giants in this country, from
Disney to NPR and PBS. The FCC does things like
set rules for radio and television stations and grant them
(04:56):
operating licenses. They also over see things like trying to
protect you from robocalls and spam texts, and to make
sure that emergency communications systems work properly during an emergency
or a natural disaster. And like in the Paramount and
sky Dance deal, the commissioners also vote on mergers between
(05:22):
media companies, and while the commissioners and the Chairman's votes
are equal, it is the chairman who sets the agenda
and the direction of the agency, a lead Gomez is
not willing to follow.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
I am alarmed by this administration's campaign of censorship and control.
We need government to stop interfering in our freedom to speak,
our freedom of assembly, and in the freedom of the press.
We cannot let this become the status quo.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Gomez was born in Miami, Florida. Then she spent her
childhood in Bogodak, Columbia, where her father's from.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Eventually she moved back to the state to New Jersey.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
She became a telecommunications lawyer and spent about thirty years
working in both the private and public sectors, and Gomez,
in twenty twenty two, decided to retire.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
I retired for six and a half glorious.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Months until the day when.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
I did get a call from the Biden administration asking
me to do this temporary appointment at the State Department.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
It was meant to be for only one year.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
And then I'm about halfway through my appointment when I
get a call again from the White House saying are
you interested in being nominated to be a commissioner at
the FCC. And I was nominated and the Senate confirmed me,
and I was sworn in in September of twenty twenty three.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Gomez is the first Latina in more than twenty years
to serve as a commissioner of the FCC, and only
the second Latina in her role ever since the FCC
was founded almost one hundred years ago. Or now is
my conversation with Commissioner Anagomez of the FCC.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Commissioner Anagomez, Welcome to Latino, USA.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Thank you, Maria it's great to see you again.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
So the FCC has approved an eight billion dollar merger
between Paramount and sky Dance. In your dissent, you wrote
that Paramount conceded to the Trump administration and that they
were cowardly capitulating. You also wrote, quote, this administration is
not done with its assault on the First Amendment. In fact,
(07:35):
it may only be beginning. Can you bring it down
to all of us why we should be concerned about
the First Amendment visa VI.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
The big news about this merger.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
The reason that this is so concerning is because what
this administration did was it leveraged the fact that Paramount
wanted to complete this transaction in order to get concessions
about how they report the news, and that is a
violation of the First Amendment. We can't have the government
(08:07):
interfering in the free press. We need a press that
is independent so that it can report without fear and favor.
It's about making sure that the CBS News organization reports
in this administration in a way that it wants it
to report on this administration. So what new Paramount, which
(08:32):
is the new entity that is going to exist, has
agreed to do is to appoint an ombudsman, and this
ombudsman will be reporting to the president of New Paramount.
It is going to be fielding any complaints about bias, which,
to be clear, in this administration, bias means anything it
(08:52):
doesn't like, because everything that the administration complains about is
about when there's reporting that it disagrees with that doesn't
put it in a good light. Of course, the ombudsman
is really worrisome and it's unprecedented and we've never had
before the FCC grant a transaction after a regulated broadcaster
(09:14):
agrees to a point, basically a self censor in chief.
That is self censorship by the owners of CBS, which
have the CBS News decision, and that is a direct
violation of the First Amendment. But it also has been
harassing Paramount and CBS in particular because of the sixty
(09:36):
minutes news segment that most people know about.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
I just sued CBS today because of sixty minutes. You
know why I said them. They asked her a question,
she gave an answer. They call it a word salad.
They took it out in its entirety, and they took
another answer from someplace else and they put it in
CBO should lose its.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
License, and that was the subject of the financial settlement
with the President in his private lawsuit against CBS.
Speaker 6 (10:09):
Skovernight Paramount announcing they will settle President Trump's lawsuit over
a sixty minutes interview for sixteen million dollars. That interview
was with former Vice president Kamil Harris.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
So it really is a lot of interference in news
content and in editorial judgments. But what is really problematic
here is the weaponization of agencies like the FCC to
tell these corporations how they can speak. And we need
(10:45):
more courage from these corporate parents to uphold journalistic principles
that have long upheld our democracy. What you're seeing is
an effort to control anything and eva everything that everyday
people here or see, whether it's on television, on the radio,
(11:07):
or on social media, and that influences them, and people
need to understand that that is what's happening and to
push back on it because we can't let that become
the new norm.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Coming up on let you know USAY, Commissioner Ana Gomez
from the FCC talks about her childhood and how this
shaped her into the woman that she is today. Stayed
with us Hey we're back. Let's continue now with my
(11:54):
conversation with FCC Commissioner Ana Gomez. So I want to
do a little backtrack because you and I are Latinas
of a certain generation, and there are a few of
us now who have come into power, most notably the
(12:16):
President of Mexico. But I'm also thinking of Supreme Court
Justice Son so to Mayor, and I kind of put
you also in the ranks. How does a commissioner like
you end up being so unafraid to speak up, in fact,
to use her voice, to use everything that is encompassed
in the First Amendment.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
So, my father is Colombian American, and I was raised
in Colombia, South America and Boblata until high school. So
I've seen in South America democratic countries fall under regimes
that don't respect the freedom to speak, that want to
control how both their citizens and their companies lived there
(13:00):
everyday lives and conduct their businesses. This was watching our neighbors,
This was watching Venezuela. This was watching other countries and
what they were going through. Now, you know Bogotano's Bogatana's
love to talk about politics, So it's something that you're
exposed to in your family dinners and your parties. So
I grew up hearing about this, and I came to
the United States and my father was a naturalized citizen.
(13:23):
He really loved our country and he loved what it
stands for.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
I love this notion of you being in Bogwada, the
whole family's around. It's Sunday dinner, middle of the day,
which means it goes on into the evening. What were
the conversations that you were hearing about politics?
Speaker 3 (13:41):
What you heard a lot about was concerns about countries
trying to control or take over private businesses. You heard
about countries turning against their own citizens because of any
type of dissent, and that really does influence how you
see when you watch your own country start to turn
(14:03):
against a certain part of its population or to take
retalitatory action against its own citizens the way that we've
seen from this administration. So when I say that I
am trying to protect our democracy, that is exactly what
I am doing. I am very passionate about speaking out
against the abuses by this administration against our freedoms, and
(14:26):
we see it every day and it's really worrisome.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
So Commissioner, you decide pretty early on in your career
that you want to become a telecommunications lawyer. That is
so wildly specific. Why and when did that revelation happen?
Speaker 3 (14:43):
Well, I wanted to be a lawyer from childhood because
my mother used to always say to me Anna, Marie,
the way you argue, you should be a lawyer, and.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
That's so you're nine years old.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Sobriquet ken't sorry, look they look as Yeah, I guess
I was very argumentative as a child, and yeah, my
mother used to say that to me. And you know,
this is why you have to be careful what you
say to your children, because I took it to heart,
and I knew from a young age I was going
to go to law school and I was going to
(15:21):
be a lawyer. I actually discovered communications law in law school,
and I really loved my communications law classes and I
was very inspired by my professors, and so that's what
made me want to become a communications lawyer.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
So Commissioner.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
When I was growing up, probably like for you, the
whole notion of the First Amendment, freedom of expression. It
was something that my family lived all around us were
the late nineteen sixties and seventies, there were protests, there
was CBS news, there were political assassinations, and as a
(16:00):
even though I knew I wasn't a citizen, I also
understood that in this country we did have freedom of assembly. Actually,
my mom took me, at eight years old to my
first protest. In my early teens, I heard public radio
and that changed everything. Talk to us about your concerns
right now regarding a very specific attack now against public
(16:24):
radio and public television.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Congress just voted to strip funding from public broadcasters. President
Trump is very much one of the forces behind those.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Yeah, public radio is very important in our country, especially
as we are seeing the demise of our newspapers and
we are finding news deserts throughout the country because these
newspapers are going out of business. Public radio public television
are often the last resort for a lot of areas
(16:53):
in this country where the major broadcasters just don't reach,
particularly in rural areas, and public television and public radio
are important for educational content. They are also important because
they are the backbone of emergency alerts. They are the
one that broadcast emergency alerts throughout the country that you
(17:16):
get on your radio and on your television, so you
are going to lose a lifeline for people throughout the
United States if these broadcasters shut down. Now, what the
Congress did and what the President signed into law was
the clawback of advanced funding for the Corporation for Private
Broadcasting and for MPR, which is distributed to these individual
(17:40):
radio stations and television stations throughout the country. And there
are some that will probably shut down because of this action,
and it is their viewers and listeners that will suffer
the consequences.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
We will be right back. Yes, hey, we're back.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
So when I heard that you were, one still employed
by the FCC and two while employed by the FCC
under the Trump administration, you've been going on a First
Amendment tour And I'm just like, wait, what's going on here?
We have a commissioner who's touring around the country, going
to different places, different cities and towns, to talk about
(18:40):
the importance of the First Amendment. How are you being
able to do this in the midst of being an
appointed commissioner.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
We have seen this administration fire the Democrats at the
Federal Trade Commission, the Democrats at the Consumer Product and
Safety Commission, the Democrats at the Equal Employment Opportunity commission
and on and on. I don't know why I have
not been fired. I have a suspicion it's because our
Communications Act, which is our authorizing law, requires a quorum
(19:09):
of three commissioners in order to act as a commission
and there are only three of us right now. But
the way that I view all of these firings is
it's a sign of weakness. You have an administration that
holds so much power in government right now and they
cannot tolerate any kind of dissent, and that is what
(19:31):
you are seeing. So I check my email every day
to see if I'm coming into work, and so far
I am. And I will continue to speak out while
I'm a commissioner, and even if I'm not anymore, I
will continue to speak out because this is too important
to us.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Commissioner, the chairman of the FCC, essentially is the person
who wrote the chapter about the FCC for Project twenty
twenty five. This is your coworker, and I'm I'm just
wondering how you're managing this and what are your words
of wisdom regarding how we manage these situations where they
(20:10):
might happen professionally or it might happen in your personal life,
but you really are working with somebody who, frankly is
the antithesis of almost everything you represent.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
So I actually have a very good relationship with the Chairman.
We speak quite frequently. I'm a very transparent and direct individual.
I am able to raise my concerns and to have
very good discussions with the Chairman and with my fellow
commissioner as well, So that makes it for a more
(20:41):
pleasant work environment. But also I think it's important that
I be transparent with them as well as with the
public about where I'm coming from, because my hope is,
of course, to be able to convince everyone that what
we need is a free and in the past press.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
Which brings me to the question, how do you say
to a journalist like me, who is a Mexican immigrant
woman New Yorker journalist who's unafraid to speak, How am
I supposed to be completely objective quote unquote in covering
this administration that is openly attacking Mexicans, immigrants, journalists women.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
So the first thing that I would say to you
is that the government has no place telling you how
you report on things. That is what the First Amendment
protects against. So whenever there is talk about the FCC
successfully getting rid of bias, that is, in and of itself,
the FCC violating the First Amendment because this administration, first
(21:49):
of all, thinks bias is anything it doesn't like or
anything that puts it in a bad light or isn't
reported the way they want it to be reported. But importantly,
because it's not the FCC's business what it is that
you report, we don't do content regulation other than in
limited circumstances like protecting children. And there's a reason for that.
(22:10):
Our Communications Act prohibits the FCC from censorship, and US
telling you how you report things, even if you have
bias in your reporting, is censorship. So I think you're
asking yourself the right question. Am I well sourced? Am
I sure that this is correct? Have I checked my facts?
(22:31):
That is your journalistic integrity, But that is not for
me the FCC to tell you how to do.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Do you have a sense of who which institution might
be the next target on Trump's list?
Speaker 1 (22:44):
In terms of the media.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
I think any media organization that is looking to have
any transaction before the FCC will be targeted by this FCC.
Because this administration is not done, they will continue to
demand some type of ideological purity and fair reporting by
their standards from anyone that tries to seek some type
(23:10):
of authorization before the FCC. I'm also concerned because these
complaints against CBSABC and NBC and against the public broadcasters
are still active here at the Commission, and that for me,
looks like harassment in order to reach a specific end,
which is the chilling of speech.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
And finally, Commissioner advice to anyone who's listening who says
this matters to me, but I don't know what to do.
I don't know how to push back. What do you
say to them?
Speaker 3 (23:43):
I think it's very important that all of us speak up,
speak out, and pushback when we see that our government
is interfering in our free speech, our freedom of assembly,
in our free press, and that includes the corporate parents.
As I mentioned before, capitulation breeds capitulation, but courage breeds courage.
(24:07):
When we see institutions being courageous and pushing back against
this administration's attempts to control and censor them, it inspires
others to do the same, and that is what we
need from everyone.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Commissioner Anagomez, thank you so much for taking the time
to speak with me on Latino Usa.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Thank you, It's been a pleasure as well.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
This episode was produced by Rinaldo Leanos Junior. It was
edited by Andrea Lopez Grusado. It was mixed by Gabriel Abayez.
Fact checking for this episode by Rosanna Aguire. Fernando Echavari
is our managing editor. The Latino USA team also includes
Julia Caruso, Psica Ellis, Victoria Estrada, Stephanie lebou Luis Luna,
(25:04):
Jonivan Marquez, Julieta Martinelli, Marta Martinez, Monica Morales, Garcia, JJ Krubin,
and Nancy Trujido. Our intern is Diego Perdomo, Benni, Lee
Ramirez and I are co executive producers and I'm your
host Maria jo Josa. Latino USA is part of Iheart's
My Guldura podcast network. Executive producers at iHeart are Leo
(25:26):
Gomez and Arlene Santana. Join us again on our next episode.
In the meantime, I'll see you on all of our
social media. And don't forget, dear listener, It's so easy.
Do it right now.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Join Fuduro Plus.
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Speaker 3 (25:55):
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(26:18):
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Dear, let you know USA listener.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Before we start, you should know that if you want
to listen to this episode ad free, just join plus
and you can join for as little as seven dollars
a month. Joining also gets you behind the scenes access
and yes, some cheese may so click the link in
the episode description and after you do that, then click play.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Let's go to the show.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Turns out it is quite easy to sell out your
principles for pure profit.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
That is Anna Gomez.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
She's a sitting commissioner at the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
Unchecked and unquestioned power has no rightful place in America.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Gomez is speaking to a room of journalists who are
lined up in front of her. Directly behind her is
an American flag at just five foot two inches tall.
Ana Gomez's words pack a very mighty punch.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
I believe the public has a right to know how
the government's First Amendment violations drove Paramount's capitulation.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
The FCC just finished their monthly open meeting at their
headquarters in Washington, d C. And Gomez is expressing concerns
about a possible merger between Paramount and sky Dance. Paramount
owns CBS and CBS News and sky Dance Media is
an American production and finance company.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
Paramounts payout and the approval of their transaction would only
embolden those who believe the government can and should abuse
its power to extract financial and ideological concessions, demand favored treatment,
and secure positive media coverage. That's a terrifying thought.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Soon after the FCC approved the merger with two votes
in favor, Gomez, the only Democrat within the FCC's top ranks,
voted against the deal. Commissioner Gomez and other critics believe
that Paramount caved to several demands by the Trump administration
(02:28):
in order to get this deal approved. Commissioner Gomez has
become one of the strongest voices against the Trump administration,
regardless of personal risks.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
I'm not worried about myself. When I was sworn in,
I swore to up pulled the Constitution. As I have
said before, if I get fired, it's not because I
didn't do my job. It's because I insisted on doing it.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
From Futuro Media, it's Latino USA. I'm Marie Nkosa.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Today I sit down with FCC Commissioner Ana Gomez. We
talk about the Trump administration and it's ongoing to tax
on the First Amendment. The Trump administration's attacks on the
media have injected themselves in the cultural zeitgeist. They're popping
(03:30):
up everywhere.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
The fallout continues after CBS announced that it's canceling The
Late Show after a three decade run, citing financial issues
at the network. The suspiciously timed cancelation came just three
days after show hosts Stephen Colbert spoke out against a
CBS settling a lawsuit with President Trump for sixteen million dollars,
calling it quote a big fat bribe.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
The thing about him.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
Is that he's so jealous of Obama, because Obama is
everything that he is not.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
The White House chose to respond to that, and this
is what they said.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Joy Behar is an irrelevant loser.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
She should self reflect on our own jealousy of President
Trump's historic popularity before her show is the next to
be pulled off air.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
The White House is firing back at Comedy Central South
Park after the season premiere. The episode Wednesday included a
scene showing President Trump lying in bed with Satan. On Thursday,
a White House spokesperson issued a statement saying quote South
Park hasn't been relevant for more than twenty years.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
The FCC under this administration has opened questionable investigations into
many of the big media giants in this country, from
Disney to NPR and PBS. The FCC does things like
set rules for radio and television stations and grant them
(04:56):
operating licenses. They also over see things like trying to
protect you from robocalls and spam texts, and to make
sure that emergency communications systems work properly during an emergency
or a natural disaster. And like in the Paramount and
sky Dance deal, the commissioners also vote on mergers between
(05:22):
media companies, and while the commissioners and the Chairman's votes
are equal, it is the chairman who sets the agenda
and the direction of the agency, a lead Gomez is
not willing to follow.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
I am alarmed by this administration's campaign of censorship and control.
We need government to stop interfering in our freedom to speak,
our freedom of assembly, and in the freedom of the press.
We cannot let this become the status quo.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Gomez was born in Miami, Florida. Then she spent her
childhood in Bogodak, Columbia, where her father's from.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Eventually she moved back to the state to New Jersey.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
She became a telecommunications lawyer and spent about thirty years
working in both the private and public sectors, and Gomez,
in twenty twenty two, decided to retire.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
I retired for six and a half glorious.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Months until the day when.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
I did get a call from the Biden administration asking
me to do this temporary appointment at the State Department.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
It was meant to be for only one year.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
And then I'm about halfway through my appointment when I
get a call again from the White House saying are
you interested in being nominated to be a commissioner at
the FCC. And I was nominated and the Senate confirmed me,
and I was sworn in in September of twenty twenty three.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Gomez is the first Latina in more than twenty years
to serve as a commissioner of the FCC, and only
the second Latina in her role ever since the FCC
was founded almost one hundred years ago. Or now is
my conversation with Commissioner Anagomez of the FCC.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Commissioner Anagomez, Welcome to Latino, USA.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Thank you, Maria it's great to see you again.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
So the FCC has approved an eight billion dollar merger
between Paramount and sky Dance. In your dissent, you wrote
that Paramount conceded to the Trump administration and that they
were cowardly capitulating. You also wrote, quote, this administration is
not done with its assault on the First Amendment. In fact,
(07:35):
it may only be beginning. Can you bring it down
to all of us why we should be concerned about
the First Amendment visa VI.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
The big news about this merger.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
The reason that this is so concerning is because what
this administration did was it leveraged the fact that Paramount
wanted to complete this transaction in order to get concessions
about how they report the news, and that is a
violation of the First Amendment. We can't have the government
(08:07):
interfering in the free press. We need a press that
is independent so that it can report without fear and favor.
It's about making sure that the CBS News organization reports
in this administration in a way that it wants it
to report on this administration. So what new Paramount, which
(08:32):
is the new entity that is going to exist, has
agreed to do is to appoint an ombudsman, and this
ombudsman will be reporting to the president of New Paramount.
It is going to be fielding any complaints about bias, which,
to be clear, in this administration, bias means anything it
(08:52):
doesn't like, because everything that the administration complains about is
about when there's reporting that it disagrees with that doesn't
put it in a good light. Of course, the ombudsman
is really worrisome and it's unprecedented and we've never had
before the FCC grant a transaction after a regulated broadcaster
(09:14):
agrees to a point, basically a self censor in chief.
That is self censorship by the owners of CBS, which
have the CBS News decision, and that is a direct
violation of the First Amendment. But it also has been
harassing Paramount and CBS in particular because of the sixty
(09:36):
minutes news segment that most people know about.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
I just sued CBS today because of sixty minutes. You
know why I said them. They asked her a question,
she gave an answer. They call it a word salad.
They took it out in its entirety, and they took
another answer from someplace else and they put it in
CBO should lose its.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
License, and that was the subject of the financial settlement
with the President in his private lawsuit against CBS.
Speaker 6 (10:09):
Skovernight Paramount announcing they will settle President Trump's lawsuit over
a sixty minutes interview for sixteen million dollars. That interview
was with former Vice president Kamil Harris.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
So it really is a lot of interference in news
content and in editorial judgments. But what is really problematic
here is the weaponization of agencies like the FCC to
tell these corporations how they can speak. And we need
(10:45):
more courage from these corporate parents to uphold journalistic principles
that have long upheld our democracy. What you're seeing is
an effort to control anything and eva everything that everyday
people here or see, whether it's on television, on the radio,
(11:07):
or on social media, and that influences them, and people
need to understand that that is what's happening and to
push back on it because we can't let that become
the new norm.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Coming up on let you know USAY, Commissioner Ana Gomez
from the FCC talks about her childhood and how this
shaped her into the woman that she is today. Stayed
with us Hey we're back. Let's continue now with my
(11:54):
conversation with FCC Commissioner Ana Gomez. So I want to
do a little backtrack because you and I are Latinas
of a certain generation, and there are a few of
us now who have come into power, most notably the
(12:16):
President of Mexico. But I'm also thinking of Supreme Court
Justice Son so to Mayor, and I kind of put
you also in the ranks. How does a commissioner like
you end up being so unafraid to speak up, in fact,
to use her voice, to use everything that is encompassed
in the First Amendment.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
So, my father is Colombian American, and I was raised
in Colombia, South America and Boblata until high school. So
I've seen in South America democratic countries fall under regimes
that don't respect the freedom to speak, that want to
control how both their citizens and their companies lived there
(13:00):
everyday lives and conduct their businesses. This was watching our neighbors,
This was watching Venezuela. This was watching other countries and
what they were going through. Now, you know Bogotano's Bogatana's
love to talk about politics, So it's something that you're
exposed to in your family dinners and your parties. So
I grew up hearing about this, and I came to
the United States and my father was a naturalized citizen.
(13:23):
He really loved our country and he loved what it
stands for.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
I love this notion of you being in Bogwada, the
whole family's around. It's Sunday dinner, middle of the day,
which means it goes on into the evening. What were
the conversations that you were hearing about politics?
Speaker 3 (13:41):
What you heard a lot about was concerns about countries
trying to control or take over private businesses. You heard
about countries turning against their own citizens because of any
type of dissent, and that really does influence how you
see when you watch your own country start to turn
(14:03):
against a certain part of its population or to take
retalitatory action against its own citizens the way that we've
seen from this administration. So when I say that I
am trying to protect our democracy, that is exactly what
I am doing. I am very passionate about speaking out
against the abuses by this administration against our freedoms, and
(14:26):
we see it every day and it's really worrisome.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
So Commissioner, you decide pretty early on in your career
that you want to become a telecommunications lawyer. That is
so wildly specific. Why and when did that revelation happen?
Speaker 3 (14:43):
Well, I wanted to be a lawyer from childhood because
my mother used to always say to me Anna, Marie,
the way you argue, you should be a lawyer, and.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
That's so you're nine years old.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Sobriquet ken't sorry, look they look as Yeah, I guess
I was very argumentative as a child, and yeah, my
mother used to say that to me. And you know,
this is why you have to be careful what you
say to your children, because I took it to heart,
and I knew from a young age I was going
to go to law school and I was going to
(15:21):
be a lawyer. I actually discovered communications law in law school,
and I really loved my communications law classes and I
was very inspired by my professors, and so that's what
made me want to become a communications lawyer.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
So Commissioner.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
When I was growing up, probably like for you, the
whole notion of the First Amendment, freedom of expression. It
was something that my family lived all around us were
the late nineteen sixties and seventies, there were protests, there
was CBS news, there were political assassinations, and as a
(16:00):
even though I knew I wasn't a citizen, I also
understood that in this country we did have freedom of assembly. Actually,
my mom took me, at eight years old to my
first protest. In my early teens, I heard public radio
and that changed everything. Talk to us about your concerns
right now regarding a very specific attack now against public
(16:24):
radio and public television.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Congress just voted to strip funding from public broadcasters. President
Trump is very much one of the forces behind those.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Yeah, public radio is very important in our country, especially
as we are seeing the demise of our newspapers and
we are finding news deserts throughout the country because these
newspapers are going out of business. Public radio public television
are often the last resort for a lot of areas
(16:53):
in this country where the major broadcasters just don't reach,
particularly in rural areas, and public television and public radio
are important for educational content. They are also important because
they are the backbone of emergency alerts. They are the
one that broadcast emergency alerts throughout the country that you
(17:16):
get on your radio and on your television, so you
are going to lose a lifeline for people throughout the
United States if these broadcasters shut down. Now, what the
Congress did and what the President signed into law was
the clawback of advanced funding for the Corporation for Private
Broadcasting and for MPR, which is distributed to these individual
(17:40):
radio stations and television stations throughout the country. And there
are some that will probably shut down because of this action,
and it is their viewers and listeners that will suffer
the consequences.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
We will be right back. Yes, hey, we're back.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
So when I heard that you were, one still employed
by the FCC and two while employed by the FCC
under the Trump administration, you've been going on a First
Amendment tour And I'm just like, wait, what's going on here?
We have a commissioner who's touring around the country, going
to different places, different cities and towns, to talk about
(18:40):
the importance of the First Amendment. How are you being
able to do this in the midst of being an
appointed commissioner.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
We have seen this administration fire the Democrats at the
Federal Trade Commission, the Democrats at the Consumer Product and
Safety Commission, the Democrats at the Equal Employment Opportunity commission
and on and on. I don't know why I have
not been fired. I have a suspicion it's because our
Communications Act, which is our authorizing law, requires a quorum
(19:09):
of three commissioners in order to act as a commission
and there are only three of us right now. But
the way that I view all of these firings is
it's a sign of weakness. You have an administration that
holds so much power in government right now and they
cannot tolerate any kind of dissent, and that is what
(19:31):
you are seeing. So I check my email every day
to see if I'm coming into work, and so far
I am. And I will continue to speak out while
I'm a commissioner, and even if I'm not anymore, I
will continue to speak out because this is too important
to us.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Commissioner, the chairman of the FCC, essentially is the person
who wrote the chapter about the FCC for Project twenty
twenty five. This is your coworker, and I'm I'm just
wondering how you're managing this and what are your words
of wisdom regarding how we manage these situations where they
(20:10):
might happen professionally or it might happen in your personal life,
but you really are working with somebody who, frankly is
the antithesis of almost everything you represent.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
So I actually have a very good relationship with the Chairman.
We speak quite frequently. I'm a very transparent and direct individual.
I am able to raise my concerns and to have
very good discussions with the Chairman and with my fellow
commissioner as well, So that makes it for a more
(20:41):
pleasant work environment. But also I think it's important that
I be transparent with them as well as with the
public about where I'm coming from, because my hope is,
of course, to be able to convince everyone that what
we need is a free and in the past press.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
Which brings me to the question, how do you say
to a journalist like me, who is a Mexican immigrant
woman New Yorker journalist who's unafraid to speak, How am
I supposed to be completely objective quote unquote in covering
this administration that is openly attacking Mexicans, immigrants, journalists women.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
So the first thing that I would say to you
is that the government has no place telling you how
you report on things. That is what the First Amendment
protects against. So whenever there is talk about the FCC
successfully getting rid of bias, that is, in and of itself,
the FCC violating the First Amendment because this administration, first
(21:49):
of all, thinks bias is anything it doesn't like or
anything that puts it in a bad light or isn't
reported the way they want it to be reported. But importantly,
because it's not the FCC's business what it is that
you report, we don't do content regulation other than in
limited circumstances like protecting children. And there's a reason for that.
(22:10):
Our Communications Act prohibits the FCC from censorship, and US
telling you how you report things, even if you have
bias in your reporting, is censorship. So I think you're
asking yourself the right question. Am I well sourced? Am
I sure that this is correct? Have I checked my facts?
(22:31):
That is your journalistic integrity, But that is not for
me the FCC to tell you how to do.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Do you have a sense of who which institution might
be the next target on Trump's list?
Speaker 1 (22:44):
In terms of the media.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
I think any media organization that is looking to have
any transaction before the FCC will be targeted by this FCC.
Because this administration is not done, they will continue to
demand some type of ideological purity and fair reporting by
their standards from anyone that tries to seek some type
(23:10):
of authorization before the FCC. I'm also concerned because these
complaints against CBSABC and NBC and against the public broadcasters
are still active here at the Commission, and that for me,
looks like harassment in order to reach a specific end,
which is the chilling of speech.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
And finally, Commissioner advice to anyone who's listening who says
this matters to me, but I don't know what to do.
I don't know how to push back. What do you
say to them?
Speaker 3 (23:43):
I think it's very important that all of us speak up,
speak out, and pushback when we see that our government
is interfering in our free speech, our freedom of assembly,
in our free press, and that includes the corporate parents.
As I mentioned before, capitulation breeds capitulation, but courage breeds courage.
(24:07):
When we see institutions being courageous and pushing back against
this administration's attempts to control and censor them, it inspires
others to do the same, and that is what we
need from everyone.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Commissioner Anagomez, thank you so much for taking the time
to speak with me on Latino Usa.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Thank you, It's been a pleasure as well.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
This episode was produced by Rinaldo Leanos Junior. It was
edited by Andrea Lopez Grusado. It was mixed by Gabriel Abayez.
Fact checking for this episode by Rosanna Aguire. Fernando Echavari
is our managing editor. The Latino USA team also includes
Julia Caruso, Psica Ellis, Victoria Estrada, Stephanie lebou Luis Luna,
(25:04):
Jonivan Marquez, Julieta Martinelli, Marta Martinez, Monica Morales, Garcia, JJ Krubin,
and Nancy Trujido. Our intern is Diego Perdomo, Benni, Lee
Ramirez and I are co executive producers and I'm your
host Maria jo Josa. Latino USA is part of Iheart's
My Guldura podcast network. Executive producers at iHeart are Leo
(25:26):
Gomez and Arlene Santana. Join us again on our next episode.
In the meantime, I'll see you on all of our
social media. And don't forget, dear listener, It's so easy.
Do it right now.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Join Fuduro Plus.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
You won't get the ads and you'll get cheese made. Also,
you'll be supporting Fuduro Media and Latino USA. What's not
to love? Join Futuro plus, Yatu sabs, Gras, Yes, No
Tea Yes.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
Latino USA is made possible in part by the Anie
Casey Foundation. Creates a brighter future for the nation's children
by strengthening families, building greater economic opportunity, and transforming communities.
California Endowment building a strong state by improving the health
of all Californians, and funding for Latino USA's coverage of
(26:18):
a culture of health is made possible in part by
a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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