Paramount settles with Trump for $16 million over ‘60 Minutes’ interview

Case highlights decision by editors in putting news show together

At issue was the broadcast’s editing. Harris was shown giving two different answers to a question about Israel by correspondent Bill Whitaker in clips aired on “60 Minutes” and “Face the Nation.” Both responses came as part of a long-winded answer that Harris gave to Whitaker.

Editing for brevity’s sake is commonplace in television. What was jarring was hearing different words from Harris directly after Whitaker spoke. Trump said CBS was trying to make his opponent look better; CBS said that claim had no merit in trying to get the case thrown out. Many legal experts dismissed the president’s claim.

But the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission launched an investigation — a complication for Paramount as it seeks administration approval of its proposed merger with Skydance Media.

In Wednesday’s shareholders meeting, Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks said companies often settle litigation to avoid high legal costs and the unpredictability of a trial. Settlement allows a company to focus on its objectives “rather than being mired in uncertainty and distraction,” Cheeks said. But it was received by Trump’s legal team with excitement. With the settlement, a spokesman said, Trump “delivers another win for the American people.”

“This settlement is a cowardly capitulation by the corporate leaders of Paramount, and a fundamental betrayal of ‘60 Minutes’ and CBS News,” said Rome Hartman, who helped produce the Harris interview for the show. “The story that was the subject of this lawsuit was edited by the book and in accordance with CBS News standards.”

CBS journalists stood united against the deal, seemingly in the works for months. CBS News President and CEO Wendy McMahon and “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens, who both opposed a settlement, resigned this spring. In a letter to Paramount’s leadership in early May, the “60 Minutes” correspondents said they were troubled by reports that Paramount might settle the case “in a way that acknowledges some sort of wrongdoing on our part.”

The correspondents, in the letter obtained by The Associated Press, said that “if our parent company caves in to his pressure and lies, it will leave a shameful stain and undermine the First Amendment.” It was signed by Whitaker, Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley, Anderson Cooper, Sharyn Alfonsi, Jon Wertheim and Cecilia Vega.

“Paramount’s decision to capitulate to Trump threatens journalists’ ability to do their job reporting on powerful public figures,” the Writers Guild of America East, which represents “60 Minutes” journalists, said in a statement.

Since the transcript and video of the Harris interview showed no evidence of wrongdoing, Paramount would have prevailed on the facts and law if it had pursued the case, said Anna M. Gomez, an FCC commissioner and Democrat. “But instead of standing on principle, Paramount opted for a payout,” Gomez said.

The deal “could be bribery in plain sight,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. She called for an investigation and new rules to restrict donations to presidential libraries.

Paramount agreed that ‘60 Minutes’ transcripts will be released

As part of the deal, Paramount said that “60 Minutes” will in the future promptly release full transcripts of interviews with presidential candidates. That’s a significant change in the broadcast’s practices. It has traditionally kept its editing decisions to itself and didn’t release a transcript of the Harris interview until well after the election.

Indeed, the settlement is a blow to a program widely considered the best in broadcast journalism for decades. Following Owens’ departure, “60 Minutes” is leaderless and may not have a clearer view of its future until after the merger goes through.

In its letter to Paramount, the “60 Minutes” correspondents urged that interim leader Tanya Simon, daughter of the late correspondent Bob Simon, be given the job permanently. “As much as we will miss Bill Owens, we believe — no, we know — that his long-term successor must come from within,” they wrote.

In December, ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit by Trump over statements made by anchor George Stephanopoulos, agreeing to pay $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library rather than engage in a public fight. Meta reportedly paid $25 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit against the company over its decision to suspend his social media accounts following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Left uncertain is whether these settlements will encourage further Trump lawsuits. The president last week threatened CNN and The New York Times with lawsuits stemming from their reporting of a preliminary assessment of damage from the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear program.

The Freedom of the Press Foundation, a media advocacy group that says it is a Paramount shareholder, has said that it would file a lawsuit in protest if a settlement was reached. Its advocacy director, Seth Stern, said Wednesday was “a dark day for Paramount and for press freedom,” but had no details on any potential lawsuit.

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