Journalist Dan Rather expressed honest disappointment Wednesday in Paramount Global, the mum or dad firm of his former employer CBS News, for agreeing to settle a lawsuit from President Donald Trump’s administration for $16 million.
“It’s a tragic day for journalism,” Rather told Variety in an interview revealed Wednesday. “It’s a tragic day for ‘60 Minutes’ and CBS Information.”
“I hope individuals will learn the small print of this and perceive what it was,” he continued. “It was distortion by the president and a kneeling down and saying, ‘sure, sir,’ by billionaire company house owners.”
Trump sued CBS last fall over what he claimed was a deceptively edited “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, his opponent within the 2024 election, and accused the network of “partisan and illegal acts of voter interference.”
Regardless of high-profile resignations at CBS and public concern, together with from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), that the corporate would cave to Trump’s lawsuit, Paramount World agreed earlier this week to pay Trump $16 million. The settlement funds are to be allotted to a future presidential library and won’t be paid personally to Trump.
Reasonably, a veteran broadcast journalist who anchored CBS Information for twenty-four years and served as a “60 Minutes” correspondent for a lot of his profession, advised Wednesday that the rich house owners of CBS’s mum or dad firm lacked ideas.
“Paramount didn’t should settle,” he argued. “You agree a lawsuit while you’ve performed one thing unsuitable. ‘60 Minutes’ did nothing unsuitable. It adopted accepted journalistic practices. Attorneys virtually unanimously mentioned the case wouldn’t arise in court docket.”
Left: Evan Agostini/Related Press; Proper: Evan Vucci/Related Press
The deal got here at a precarious time for Paramount World, nevertheless, as the corporate is at present eyeing an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. The merger requires approval from the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Fee.
“I used to be dissatisfied, however I wasn’t shocked,” Reasonably mentioned Wednesday. “Huge billionaire businesspeople make choices about cash. We might at all times hope that they are going to make an exception relating to freedom of the press, however it wasn’t to be.”
Reasonably shared that, in his 60 years as a journalist, he has by no means seen the occupation face the political threats it’s navigating immediately. He famous that even “big time” law firms and universities are settling with Trump — and “kneeling the identical manner” as Paramount World.
Reasonably added that Trump “knew” the corporate would fold if he saved making use of stress.
“Trump is now forcing a complete information group to pay hundreds of thousands of {dollars} for doing one thing protected by the Structure — which is, in fact, free and impartial reporting,” he instructed Selection. “Now, you’re taking immediately’s sell-out.”
He concluded, “And that’s what it was: It was a sell-out to extortion by the president.”
