There have been many pillars of society who, before Trump became president, acted as if they were tough and fair, only to fold under pressure. This includes major law firms and media outlets such as ABC, which settled with Trump, and The Washington Post, whose owner Jeff Bezos exerted control even over outside editorials. But perhaps the worst example is CBS.
CBS’s parent company, Paramount, was seeking approval for a sale to Skydance Media. The Trump administration was holding up the deal, and Paramount got the message. First, they paid a $16 million settlement for Trump’s bogus 60 Minutes lawsuit. Even before the lawsuit was resolved, Paramount executives began telling 60 Minutes staff how they should report certain stories. When it became clear that Paramount was going to hang 60 Minutes out to dry—and that corporate pressure would dictate the show’s coverage—the longtime executive producer of 60 Minutes and the head of the news department both resigned.
After the settlement, Stephen Colbert—host of the highest-rated late-night talk show—criticized the network for capitulating. Colbert had long been a vocal critic of Trump. Within days, CBS announced it would not renew Colbert’s contract and would cancel the late-night show entirely. Trump was reportedly ecstatic at the news.
Paramount claimed this was a business decision because the show was losing money. While technically true, the “business decision” was really about getting the Skydance deal approved. It was the same logic they used when they paid Trump $16 million rather than fight—and likely win—the lawsuit.
Within days of Colbert’s ouster, the FCC signed off on the deal. To erase any doubt about the political nature of the move, the FCC chair stated:
“Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly. It is time for a change… In particular, Skydance has made written commitments to ensure that the new company’s programming embodies a diversity of viewpoints from across the political and ideological spectrum. Skydance will also adopt measures to root out the bias that has undermined trust in the national news media. These commitments, if implemented, would enable CBS to operate in the public interest and focus on fair, unbiased, and fact-based coverage.”
The FCC also announced that, “To promote transparency and increased accountability, Skydance commits, for a period of at least two years, to have in place an ombudsman who will report to the president of New Paramount and evaluate complaints of bias.” In practice, this sounds like right-wing “woke” policing.
CBS has now lost its credibility as an unbiased, serious journalistic institution. This is the same network that once boasted legendary correspondent Edward R. Murrow, who stood up to the “Donald Trump” of the 1950s—Senator Joseph McCarthy. Back then, media leaders had the courage to confront power regardless of the consequences. Now, CBS has earned a new moniker: the Coward Broadcasting System.
It remains to be seen what David Ellison, the CEO of Skydance Media, will do with CBS. His father, Larry Ellison—majority shareholder and co-founder of Oracle—looms large over the company. One can only hope he doesn’t turn CBS into another Trump propaganda outlet like FOX, which doubled as a feeder for Trump administration jobs. Either way, Ellison has his work cut out for him.
Warren S. Hecht is a local attorney. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.