Thursday, May 8, 2025

Lawmakers Pressure Redstone Not To Settle

Shari Redstone, Bernie Sanders

The Hollywood Reporter published a story detailing Senator Bernie Sanders' public plea to Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, urging her not to settle a $20 billion lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against CBS News over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. 

The lawsuit, which legal experts widely regard as baseless, alleges that 60 Minutes deceptively edited the October 2024 interview to favor Harris during the presidential campaign. Sanders, joined by eight Democratic senators including Elizabeth Warren and Chris Murphy, sent a letter to Redstone on Tuesday, arguing that settling the lawsuit would be “a grave mistake” and a capitulation to Trump’s “dangerous move to authoritarianism.” The senators emphasized that such a settlement would undermine press freedom and embolden Trump’s attacks on the media, citing his history of targeting journalists and news organizations.

The story highlights the broader context of Redstone’s predicament: Paramount is seeking Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval for an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, a deal critical to Redstone’s financial interests, as her family stands to gain approximately $1.75 billion. 

The FCC, now led by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, has hinted that Trump’s complaints against 60 Minutes could complicate the merger’s approval, creating pressure for Redstone to settle. This has sparked outrage among CBS News journalists, particularly at 60 Minutes, who view a potential settlement as a betrayal of journalistic integrity. The resignation of 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens in April 2025 was noted as a direct consequence of increased corporate oversight from Paramount, driven by Redstone’s push to appease Trump.

Sanders’ letter specifically called on Redstone to “stand up for freedom of the press and our democracy,” warning that settling would signal to authoritarian leaders globally that U.S. media can be intimidated. The story also references broader concerns about Trump’s influence over media, noting recent settlements by Disney ($15 million) and Meta ($25 million) as examples of companies yielding to his legal pressures.




 Posts on X, including from Sanders himself and journalists like Ben Mullin, amplified the story, reflecting widespread sentiment among press freedom advocates that a settlement would set a dangerous precedent.

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