Shell-Shocked at CBS

Last October, Jeff Shell, the veteran media executive set to serve as president of Paramount Global after its merger with Skydance Media is finalized, convened a meeting with CBS News chief Wendy McMahon, “60 Minutes” boss Bill Owens, and government relations officials. At the time, Donald Trump was loudly railing against “60 Minutes” over its interview with Kamala Harris, fixating on a baseless editing gripe that he absurdly claimed amounted to “election interference.” He demanded that CBS News release an unedited transcript of the sit-down—despite there being no evidence of the journalistic malpractice he accused the newsmagazine of.

At the meeting, Shell requested that McMahon and Owens comply with Trump’s demand and release the transcript, according to people familiar with the matter. Shell’s involvement in the editorial matter immediately set off alarm bells. McMahon and Owens later told associates they were disturbed that Shell was inserting himself into the newsroom’s decision-making, given that Paramount’s merger with Skydance has yet to close and that corporate interference in journalistic matters is traditionally anathema. Even more troubling, Shell seemed to believe CBS News should have simply appeased Trump, despite the dangerous precedent it would set.

While McMahon and Owens ultimately persuaded Shell that yielding to political pressure would be a poor move, they were left troubled by the meddling, according to people briefed on the situation. They took some solace in the fact that he hadn’t forced the issue further, but that relief was short-lived.