Paramount Global and CBS News at Odds Over “60 Minutes” Lawsuit
Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News, may be considering settling a $10 billion lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump against “60 Minutes” over a 2020 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The lawsuit alleges that the news program tried to mislead voters by airing two different edits of remarks made during the interview.
CBS News staffers are reportedly upset about the prospect of settling the lawsuit, which they believe is weakly constructed. They fear that a settlement would undermine the credibility of the news program and demoralize staff. Two top news executives, CBS News and Stations CEO Wendy McMahon and “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens, have reportedly told superiors at Paramount corporate that they do not believe the suit should be settled.
The lawsuit comes as Paramount is in the process of being acquired by Skydance Media, a deal worth billions to Shari Redstone, the controlling owner of Paramount through her family’s National Amusements Inc. theater chain. CBS News staffers believe that Paramount and Redstone may be seeking a settlement to ensure the Skydance deal goes forward without delay.
The FCC has also gotten involved, sending a letter of inquiry to CBS News requesting the full, unedited transcript and camera feeds from the interview with Vice President Harris. The FCC has also reinstated a complaint made last year against New York’s WCBS, accusing the station of “intentional news distortion” tied to the “60 Minutes” interview with Harris.
Anna Gomez, one of the Democratic commissioners at the FCC, has suggested that the request has political motivations and is part of a pattern of the FCC implementing the will of the Administration on issues that go beyond its core responsibilities.
