News commentary

CBS pays the price

CNN · last updated

CBS News did nothing wrong. But its parent company still paid the price.

That’s the moral of the Paramount settlement story. And it’s a story that keeps repeating itself in the Trump era.

Just a few minutes before midnight ET, Paramount confirmed that it is paying $16 million to make Trump’s legally dubious “60 Minutes” lawsuit go away.

Paramount did not agree to any apology — which was a major point of tension. But it did agree to help fund Trump’s future presidential library. Overall, a plugged-in CBS News staffer told me, reflecting what I’ve heard from numerous others, “this is a very sad moment for ‘60 Minutes,’ CBS News and journalism.”

Related Knowledge Center: The White House vs. the press

State of Play

Whether it’s the Des Moines Register’s publication of an unfavorable election poll, a routine edit of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, or the Associated Press’s decision in its authoritative stylebook to continue to use “Gulf of Mexico,” Donald Trump and the White House have used executive authority and legal reprisals in an effort to punish and suppress press coverage that runs contrary to the administration’s preferred narratives.

Democracy and politics | Signalgate | The CBS submission | Voiceless America


More informationabout The White House vs. the press

Related Knowledge Center: Free speech and public protest

State of Play

The First Amendment is facing challenging times: Crackdowns on campus protests prompted both-sides claims of intolerance. Attempts to head off dangerous health misinformation have been characterized as violations of free speech. Donald Trump is publicly punishing news outlets that deviate from his administration’s version of events while privately suing some outlets into submission.

The White House vs. the press  |  Voiceless America 


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Related Knowledge Center: State of the business model

State of Play

The traditional journalism business model has long since collapsed, and news organizations have shrunk or disappeared entirely. While a number of promising experiments are under way, the public has not shown a willingness to buy what news organizations are selling.

Artificial intelligence


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Related Knowledge Center: The CBS submission

State of Play

Corporate pressure has led to capitulation by CBS News in a number of conflicts with the Trump regime — including its newly ideological coverage philosophy.

The White House vs. the press


More informationabout The CBS submission