FCC Agreement Means Continued Corporate Scrutiny For CBS News
Corporate pressure on CBS News to take it easy on Trump earlier this year led to turmoil in the news division as two top executives resigned on principle and the rank-and-file wondered if the parent company could ever be relied upon to support their work.
Now, in the wake of the FCC granting its approval last week of the merger of CBS parent Paramount Global and Skydance Media, indications are that CBS News will still not be totally free to work autonomously.
Instead, the CEO of Skydance, David Ellison, reportedly made a promise to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr that the new, merged company would work to ensure that CBS News commits itself to unbiased journalism and “editorial decision-making [that] reflects the varied ideological perspectives of American viewers,” reported The Wall Street Journal on Friday.
Related Knowledge Center: The White House vs. the press
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
Related Knowledge Center: Free speech and public protest
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
Related Knowledge Center: State of the business model
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.
Related Knowledge Center: The CBS submission
Corporate pressure has led to capitulation by CBS News in a number of conflicts with the Trump regime — including its newly ideological coverage philosophy.