John,

It’s final. Donald Trump’s FCC has approved an $8 billion merger between Paramount (CBS’s parent company) and Skydance Media—just weeks after Paramount paid Trump $16 million and canceled Late Show host Stephen Colbert, one of the network’s top-rated anchors and one of Trump’s most prominent critics.

The network called ending The Late Show “a financial decision.”

But the truth is getting harder to ignore. On his show, Colbert criticized Paramount’s settlement with Trump, comparing it to a bribe.

Now Colbert is gone. Trump was paid off. The merger was approved.

Colbert’s assessment looks more and more correct—and the message to legacy media is clear: If you want favorable treatment from Trump, cancel the critics and cough up the cash.

We’ll never play that game.

COURIER is one of the only media networks left that refuses to fold to Trump, billionaire pressure, or corporate cowardice. We tell the truth. We report the facts. And we never blink.

But with Trump tightening his grip on the press, we need to be stronger than ever. Can you chip in $25 or more right now to power fearless, independent journalism?

Fight Back →

In solidarity,
—The COURIER Team