The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has opened an investigation into the ABC talk show The View over a potential breach of equal-time rules, prompting the network’s owner, Disney, to accuse the administration of an unconstitutional attempt to dictate editorial content. The probe, confirmed by US media, follows a host’s on-air description of a congressional candidate as “anti-Semitic” and could force the programme to offer airtime to political figures it has declined to host.

According to the FCC, under Chairman Brendan Carr, the inquiry is examining whether The View retains its decades-old exemption as a “bona fide news programme,” which shields it from rules requiring broadcasters to give rival candidates equal exposure. ABC, owned by Disney, contends that the First Amendment bars the government from overriding editorial decisions about whom to interview, and notes that the show’s legal status has not changed even as the political climate around it has. The network has pointed to more than 77,000 public comments filed with the regulator, which it says overwhelmingly back its position.

The immediate trigger was a 24 June broadcast in which co-host Sara Haines labelled Darializa Avila Chevalier, a candidate backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, an anti-Semite, referencing her participation in an anti-Israel demonstration on 8 October 2023. New York City Hall, according to US media reports, conveyed its objections to ABC executives, warning that the remark could affect future appearances by the mayor and his allies. The dispute unfolds as an AP-NORC poll of American Jews finds that 44 per cent view Mayor Mamdani favourably, compared with 32 per cent for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that 7 per cent consider the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023 justified. The same survey, along with broader polling, shows a marked erosion of US public support for Israel: roughly one-third of American adults, including nearly half of Democrats, now say Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, and a majority of Democrats believe Washington is “too supportive” of Israelis.

Viewed from Washington, the clash is the latest front in a widening confrontation between the Trump administration and major US media organisations. The president has previously filed lawsuits against several networks and newspapers; Disney settled a defamation claim brought by Mr Trump for $15 million in 2024. The FCC has urged ABC to focus on its public-interest obligations rather than “misleading the public,” while the network insists the regulator is attempting to “occupy the editor’s chair.” The investigation remains open, and no formal ruling has been issued. Meanwhile, the political resonance of the case is amplified by the primary victories of three candidates endorsed by Mayor Mamdani, whose office has not yet commented on the FCC probe.