President Donald Trump is reportedly demanding that Paramount, the dad or mum firm of CBS Information, pay him much more in ongoing settlement negotiations over a lawsuit that authorized specialists have labeled frivolous.
Paramount is trying to rearrange the cost to Trump whereas his administration has the ability to approve a multibillion-dollar merger between Paramount and Skydance Media, which supplies the complete association the looks of an overt bribe.
The Wall Road Journal reported on Thursday that Paramount supplied to settle the go well with for $15 million, however that Trump is demanding $25 million and an apology from CBS Information. Trump has claimed that the community edited a “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 and that the act interfered within the election.
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Trump declined to take a seat down for an interview with CBS on the identical program and stormed off the set throughout his “60 Minutes” interview in 2020 after he was requested a troublesome sequence of questions.
Consultants on media legislation have mentioned the go well with in opposition to CBS is with out benefit. Regardless of this, Paramount has pursued a settlement with Trump within the obvious perception {that a} payoff will clear a path to approval of their proposed merger.
The choice to bend to Trump, which earlier reviews say has the approval of lead Paramount shareholder Shari Redstone—regardless of pushback from the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders—has created chaos in CBS’ information division.
Invoice Owens, the previous government producer of “60 Minutes,” give up in April and mentioned in a memo to workers that it had “become clear I would not be allowed to run the show” and was not allowed to make “independent decisions” on information content material for this system.
Then in Might, Wendy McMahon left her function because the CEO/president of CBS Information. In her departure memo, McMahon mentioned, “It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward. It’s time for me to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership.”
The CBS/Paramount concessions to Trump are a part of an ongoing theme of capitulation on the highest ranges of the mainstream media since his 2024 election victory.
In December, ABC Information dad or mum Disney determined to donate $15 million to Trump’s presidential library and apologize for feedback by host George Stephanopoulos. Beforehand, Trump had filed a lawsuit in opposition to the community that authorized specialists discovered doubtful—just like the CBS go well with.
In the meantime, Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos attended Trump’s inauguration, donated to his inaugural committee, and introduced a brand new MAGA-friendly editorial line for the Washington Publish, which he owns. A number of staffers have since departed in protest of the strikes, and Trump has praised Bezos and the Publish for his or her help.
Some media organizations are pushing again. NPR filed a lawsuit in opposition to Trump on Tuesday and accused him of making an attempt to remove their First Modification rights by pushing to defund them, PBS, and the Company for Public Broadcasting.
However that has been the exception to the norm. Mainstream press continues to knuckle underneath to Trump whereas he elevates the stature of conspiracy-minded pro-Trump media, searching for to interchange trustworthy journalism with sycophantic propaganda. It’s working.
