Paramount settles with Trump over ‘60 Minutes’ controversy
Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News, has reached a settlement with former President Donald Trump, agreeing to pay him $16 million. This settlement is related to a lawsuit Trump filed over edits made to a *60 Minutes* interview with Vice president Kamala Harris during her presidential campaign. Trump claimed that the edits misrepresented Harris’s responses, calling the situation “the biggest scandal in broadcast history.” While Paramount stated that the edits were made purely for time constraints and were not manipulative, the settlement does not include any apology.
As part of the agreement, CBS will now release transcripts of interviews with presidential candidates after they air, with some legal redactions. Trump’s legal team hailed the settlement as a victory for accountability against misleading media practices. Additionally, Paramount is seeking approval for a significant merger with Skydance Media, valued at $28 billion. This settlement follows another where ABC News paid Trump $15 million over comments made by George Stephanopoulos, with ABC also issuing a statement of regret.
Paramount settles with Trump over ‘60 Minutes’ controversy for $16 million
CBS News’s parent company, Paramount Global, announced Tuesday it will pay President Donald Trump $16 million to settle his lawsuit over edits made to a 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris during her presidential campaign.
Trump claimed the edits made to Harris’s interview were “the biggest scandal in broadcast history: they actually took her answer out and gave her a different answer after it was shot.” The network said the interview was edited for time purposes, but not doctored.
“The settlement does not include a statement of apology or regret,” Paramount Global said in a statement.
“The Company has agreed that in the future, 60 Minutes will release transcripts of interviews with eligible U.S. presidential candidates after such interviews have aired, subject to redactions as required for legal or national security concerns,” the statement continued.
Since taking office, Trump has teased the idea that the Federal Communications Commission could strip CBS News of its license over the matter. Trump’s legal team celebrated the settlement, which was months in the making.
“With this record settlement, President Donald J. Trump delivers another win for the American people as he, once again, holds the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit,” a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team told the Washington Examiner.
“CBS and Paramount Global realized the strength of this historic case and had no choice but to settle. President Trump will always ensure that no one gets away with lying to the American People as he continues on his singular mission to Make America Great Again,” the spokesperson said.
Amid the legal battle, Paramount Global is seeking approval from the Trump administration to merge with Skydance Media. The combined company would be worth $28 billion. Their merger has been in the works for a year.
Executive producer Bill Owens announced in April that he was resigning from the show after 26 years. CBS News President Wendy McMahon also left in the month following.
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The settlement comes after ABC News settled with Trump in a lawsuit over host George Stephanopoulos’s comment that the president was “liable for rape.” His network will pay $15 million.
In addition to the settlement, ABC News issued a statement of regret at the bottom of an online article that contained the clip of Stephanopoulos’s comment.
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