When Donald J. Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS just days before the 2024 election, alleging that the network had deceptively edited a "60 Minutes" interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, many legal experts viewed the case as an unlikely and punitive move against a disliked media entity.
Now, with Trump back in the White House, executives at Paramount, CBS's parent company, are considering settling the lawsuit. They believe this could smooth the path for the regulatory approval of their planned multibillion-dollar merger with another firm, sources familiar with the situation have indicated.
Settlement negotiations are currently taking place between Paramount representatives and Trump's team, although three sources caution that no agreement is guaranteed, and the specifics of any potential settlement remain uncertain.
Shari Redstone, who holds controlling interest in Paramount, is reportedly a strong advocate for settling the lawsuit, according to two insiders. This move aligns with her interests since she could gain billions from the sale of Paramount, a company established by her father Sumner Redstone, to Skydance, which is supported by billionaire Larry Ellison and managed by his son David.
MC: '60 Minutes' edited Harris word salad https://t.co/KX0pCF5EDi pic.twitter.com/tdPvF7x53G
— Tom Benson (@Tombenson1) October 9, 2024
The NY Times reports a settlement would be an extraordinary concession by a major U.S. media company to a sitting president, especially in a case in which there is no evidence that the network got facts wrong or damaged the plaintiff’s reputation.
It could also cause an uproar within CBS News and among the “60 Minutes” staff. Journalists at the network have expressed deep concern about the notion of their parent company settling litigation that they consider tantamount to a politician’s standard-issue gripes about a news organization’s editorial judgment, according to several people familiar with internal discussions.
No comments:
Post a Comment