President Donald Trump and CBS News told a judge yesterday that they are in “advanced” stages of talks to settle Trump’s frivolous lawsuit over “60 Minutes” editing an interview with Kamala Harris last year. A few days earlier, a mediator reportedly proposed that the parties settle for $20 million. No credible legal expert believes the case has any merit whatsoever.
So why settle for a dime, let alone millions? Because CBS’s corporate parent, Paramount Global, wants to merge with Skydance Media. It’s been widely reported that Paramount believes Trump’s FCC won’t approve the merger unless they pay up. U.S. and California senators have said a settlement may violate criminal bribery laws. Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) has announced plans to file a shareholder derivative suit if they settle. CBS journalists are outraged. But apparently none of this is enough to sway Paramount or its controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, who stands to make hundreds of millions of dollars if the merger goes through.
It’s your turn to tell Paramount and its directors what you think of this potentially illegal settlement and its ramifications both for the free press and for Paramount itself.
