'Sad day for journalism': Anchor questions Trump-Paramount $16M settlement
What's the story
Veteran journalist and former CBS News anchor Dan Rather has criticized Paramount Global's decision to settle a lawsuit with Donald Trump. The media conglomerate agreed to pay $16 million after the US President claimed that CBS's 60 Minutes had deceptively edited an interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris. "It's a sad day for journalism... It was distortion by the President and a kneeling down and saying, 'yes, sir,' by billionaire corporate owners," Rather told Variety.
Legal perspective
'60 Minutes' did nothing wrong'
Rather emphasized that 60 Minutes had done nothing wrong and had followed accepted journalistic practices. He noted that most legal experts believed the lawsuit was frivolous and wouldn't stand up in court. "You settle a lawsuit when you've done something wrong. 60 Minutes did nothing wrong," he said.
Settlement rationale
'Big billionaire business people make decisions about money...'
Despite his disappointment, Rather wasn't surprised by Paramount Global's decision to settle. He said, "Big billionaire business people make decisions about money... Trump is now forcing a whole news organization to pay millions of dollars for doing something protected by the Constitution." The settlement was seen as a crucial move to get approval from the Trump-controlled FCC for Skydance's $8 billion acquisition of the media conglomerate.
Broader impact
'If major news organizations continue to kneel before power...'
It was also reported that Skydance pledged a separate public service announcement deal with Trump, beknownst to Paramount insiders. Rather raised concerns about the broader implications of the settlement for journalism and democracy in the US. He asked, "If major news organizations continue to kneel before power and stop trying to hold the powerful accountable, then we all lose." "Trump is extorting what he wants out of them. Now he's extorting what he wants out of news organizations."