Latest news with #AlTompkins
CNN
03-07-2025
- Business
- CNN
After settling with Trump, CBS News staffers fear what comes next
Paramount Global is being hammered for bowing to presidential pressure and settling a lawsuit that it likely could have beaten in court. But this convoluted episode is really more about the plaintiff, President Trump, than about Paramount. 'It is odd to call this a 'settlement' when the result of it is so unsettling,' veteran journalism professor Al Tompkins remarked. Employees at CBS News, which produces '60 Minutes,' feel the same way. 'There is great fear about what comes next,' a CBS News staffer told CNN on condition of anonymity. Even though Trump's '60 Minutes' lawsuit is now history, his bullying tactics will continue to challenge media companies for the foreseeable future. Get Reliable Sources newsletter Sign up here to receive Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter in your inbox. 'Behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated,' the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said Wednesday. 'This settlement will only embolden the president to continue his flurry of baseless lawsuits against the press — and against the American people's ability to hear the news free from government intrusion.' For newsrooms and other organizations targeted by Trump, the question becomes, fight or fold? One follow-up question might be: How do audiences react to outlets that fold? When Trump first sued CBS last fall, Rebecca Tushnet, the Frank Stanton professor of First Amendment law at Harvard Law School, told CNN the suit was 'ridiculous junk and should be mocked.' Tushnet – whose professional home is under multifaceted assault by the Trump administration – said in a follow-up exchange on Wednesday that Paramount's decision to settle was disappointing. 'The individual incentive in a budding authoritarian state is always to capitulate; that's the point of imposing costs on speech,' she said. 'It's disappointing that so many of our institutions are folding especially when individual citizens can see very clearly the dangers of this path.' Some CBS staffers have expressed similar views. Former CBS News correspondent Armen Keteyian echoed current staffers when he wrote on X, 'This Paramount settlement is the nadir for the network — a breach of the public trust Murrow, Cronkite, Hewitt and thousands of us worked decades to build.' Democratic lawmakers also heaped criticism on Paramount for settling; Sen. Elizabeth Warren said 'this looks like bribery in plain sight,' and Sen. Ron Wyden condemned the 'corporate execs who sold out our democracy,' promising action 'when Democrats retake power.' The bribery allegation stems from the fact that Paramount is trying to get the Trump administration to approve its pending merger with Skydance Media. Paramount insists that the settlement is not related to the FCC merger review process. Trump, however, recently spoke about the '60 Minutes' lawsuit and the merger hold-up as if they were self-evidently connected. When a reporter asked Trump what was holding up the merger on June 18, Trump answered by praising Skydance CEO David Ellison, then immediately repeated his talking points about the lawsuit. 'They're working on a settlement now,' he said. According to the terms of the settlement, which were announced late Tuesday night, Trump will drop the suit in exchange for $16 million toward his presidential library. The financial terms mirror the deal that Disney's ABC struck with Trump last December. 'Trump's presidential library will be a permanent monument to Paramount's surrender,' remarked Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Other press freedom advocates called the CBS parent's decision a 'spineless' and 'shameful' capitulation. Veteran media reporter Paul Farhi said on X that it was 'fascinating how Paramount has borne the bulk of the criticism for agreeing to this payoff. As if Trump is a passive bystander who played no role.' The conservative editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, controlled by Rupert Murdoch, focused on Trump's conduct in a sharply critical piece on Wednesday night. 'The President is using government to intimidate news outlets that publish stories he doesn't like,' the Journal wrote. 'It's a low move in a free country with a free press.' Trump, who on Wednesday was focused on his sweeping agenda bill, has yet to personally weigh in on the Paramount settlement. But a spokesman for his legal team cast the deal as an example of him holding 'the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit.' The supposed 'wrongdoing' in this case, however, was just an edit to a '60 Minutes' interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris last fall. Trump seized on the clunky editing of one particular question and answer, but TV networks edit interviews all the time, and those editorial decisions are protected under the First Amendment. One takeaway for journalists is to be 'transparent about how you do what you do,' Tompkins said. CBS resisted calls to release the full transcript of the Harris interview last fall, but eventually shared the transcript and tapes amid mounting political pressure. The tapes reaffirmed that Trump had a weak legal case. But the lawsuit gave him leverage over Paramount — and potentially Skydance, the CBS-owner-in-waiting, as well. David Ellison, son of the billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, was seen schmoozing near Trump at two different UFC matches earlier this year, stoking speculation that he was leaning on personal relationships to help get the merger approved. On Wednesday, Paramount pushed back on a New York Post report about a 'side deal' between Ellison and Trump involving TV airtime for public service announcements promoting Trump-aligned causes. 'Paramount has no knowledge of any promises or commitments made to President Trump other than those set forth in the settlement proposed by the mediator and accepted by the parties,' the company said. A spokesperson for Ellison had no comment on the matter, and there is no evidence of any such deal. But the report only intensified questions inside CBS News about how Ellison might approach owning the news division in the future. While journalists at '60 Minutes' and across CBS News are concerned about the situation, they ultimately want to move on and continue doing their jobs. 'This settlement is not a reflection on the essential and bold work of 60 Minutes of CBS,' Tompkins told CNN. 'It is a reflection of a vindictive president and corporate heads who did not value one of the fundamental principles that underpin the ownership of a news organization.' 'That principle,' he said, 'is stated as the second tenant of the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics: Act Independently.'
CNN
03-07-2025
- Business
- CNN
After settling with Trump, CBS News staffers fear what comes next
Paramount Global is being hammered for bowing to presidential pressure and settling a lawsuit that it likely could have beaten in court. But this convoluted episode is really more about the plaintiff, President Trump, than about Paramount. 'It is odd to call this a 'settlement' when the result of it is so unsettling,' veteran journalism professor Al Tompkins remarked. Employees at CBS News, which produces '60 Minutes,' feel the same way. 'There is great fear about what comes next,' a CBS News staffer told CNN on condition of anonymity. Even though Trump's '60 Minutes' lawsuit is now history, his bullying tactics will continue to challenge media companies for the foreseeable future. Get Reliable Sources newsletter Sign up here to receive Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter in your inbox. 'Behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated,' the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said Wednesday. 'This settlement will only embolden the president to continue his flurry of baseless lawsuits against the press — and against the American people's ability to hear the news free from government intrusion.' For newsrooms and other organizations targeted by Trump, the question becomes, fight or fold? One follow-up question might be: How do audiences react to outlets that fold? When Trump first sued CBS last fall, Rebecca Tushnet, the Frank Stanton professor of First Amendment law at Harvard Law School, told CNN the suit was 'ridiculous junk and should be mocked.' Tushnet – whose professional home is under multifaceted assault by the Trump administration – said in a follow-up exchange on Wednesday that Paramount's decision to settle was disappointing. 'The individual incentive in a budding authoritarian state is always to capitulate; that's the point of imposing costs on speech,' she said. 'It's disappointing that so many of our institutions are folding especially when individual citizens can see very clearly the dangers of this path.' Some CBS staffers have expressed similar views. Former CBS News correspondent Armen Keteyian echoed current staffers when he wrote on X, 'This Paramount settlement is the nadir for the network — a breach of the public trust Murrow, Cronkite, Hewitt and thousands of us worked decades to build.' Democratic lawmakers also heaped criticism on Paramount for settling; Sen. Elizabeth Warren said 'this looks like bribery in plain sight,' and Sen. Ron Wyden condemned the 'corporate execs who sold out our democracy,' promising action 'when Democrats retake power.' The bribery allegation stems from the fact that Paramount is trying to get the Trump administration to approve its pending merger with Skydance Media. Paramount insists that the settlement is not related to the FCC merger review process. Trump, however, recently spoke about the '60 Minutes' lawsuit and the merger hold-up as if they were self-evidently connected. When a reporter asked Trump what was holding up the merger on June 18, Trump answered by praising Skydance CEO David Ellison, then immediately repeated his talking points about the lawsuit. 'They're working on a settlement now,' he said. According to the terms of the settlement, which were announced late Tuesday night, Trump will drop the suit in exchange for $16 million toward his presidential library. The financial terms mirror the deal that Disney's ABC struck with Trump last December. 'Trump's presidential library will be a permanent monument to Paramount's surrender,' remarked Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. Other press freedom advocates called the CBS parent's decision a 'spineless' and 'shameful' capitulation. Veteran media reporter Paul Farhi said on X that it was 'fascinating how Paramount has borne the bulk of the criticism for agreeing to this payoff. As if Trump is a passive bystander who played no role.' The conservative editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, controlled by Rupert Murdoch, focused on Trump's conduct in a sharply critical piece on Wednesday night. 'The President is using government to intimidate news outlets that publish stories he doesn't like,' the Journal wrote. 'It's a low move in a free country with a free press.' Trump, who on Wednesday was focused on his sweeping agenda bill, has yet to personally weigh in on the Paramount settlement. But a spokesman for his legal team cast the deal as an example of him holding 'the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit.' The supposed 'wrongdoing' in this case, however, was just an edit to a '60 Minutes' interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris last fall. Trump seized on the clunky editing of one particular question and answer, but TV networks edit interviews all the time, and those editorial decisions are protected under the First Amendment. One takeaway for journalists is to be 'transparent about how you do what you do,' Tompkins said. CBS resisted calls to release the full transcript of the Harris interview last fall, but eventually shared the transcript and tapes amid mounting political pressure. The tapes reaffirmed that Trump had a weak legal case. But the lawsuit gave him leverage over Paramount — and potentially Skydance, the CBS-owner-in-waiting, as well. David Ellison, son of the billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, was seen schmoozing near Trump at two different UFC matches earlier this year, stoking speculation that he was leaning on personal relationships to help get the merger approved. On Wednesday, Paramount pushed back on a New York Post report about a 'side deal' between Ellison and Trump involving TV airtime for public service announcements promoting Trump-aligned causes. 'Paramount has no knowledge of any promises or commitments made to President Trump other than those set forth in the settlement proposed by the mediator and accepted by the parties,' the company said. A spokesperson for Ellison had no comment on the matter, and there is no evidence of any such deal. But the report only intensified questions inside CBS News about how Ellison might approach owning the news division in the future. While journalists at '60 Minutes' and across CBS News are concerned about the situation, they ultimately want to move on and continue doing their jobs. 'This settlement is not a reflection on the essential and bold work of 60 Minutes of CBS,' Tompkins told CNN. 'It is a reflection of a vindictive president and corporate heads who did not value one of the fundamental principles that underpin the ownership of a news organization.' 'That principle,' he said, 'is stated as the second tenant of the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics: Act Independently.'
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Artificial intelligence is getting tougher to spot in Kentucky: Media studies expert helps tell the difference
LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Artificial intelligence continues to evolve rapidly, especially in the media space. While it may have been easier to spot AI-generated material in recent years, it's getting harder. 'The danger comes when we don't believe anything, when we go from skepticism to cynicism. And that's the real danger of AI,' Al Tompkins from the Poynter Institute for Media Studies told FOX 56 News. It's a technology that's evolved a lot in a short amount of time and begs the question, can we always believe what is seen? Search underway in Lexington for man accused of trafficking cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana 'All of those old, reliable detections. Like they've got too many fingers, or their eyes look weird or something, the depth of field in the photograph doesn't make sense. All of those are starting to fall by the wayside,' Tompkins said. 'Ask yourself, where did this come from? How did this start? Who's behind it? And the second thing I would say to you is, remember that disinformation mostly turns on emotion.' Tompkins has spent his career teaching journalists how to dig a little deeper and avoid being tricked when something appears real online. And there's a lot online that can easily trigger a firestorm of comments and shares, sometimes by design. 'We saw this, for example, with the California wildfires; we've certainly have seen it with the protests out in California, that sometimes we see images that align with what's actually going on but the images might be from some other place, or they might not be real at all,' Tompkins said, pointing out it's a lot easier to create deceptive material during breaking news situations or during conflicts like the Russia/Ukraine war and Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Tompkins noted that when you have high emotions, judgment is running low. Some readers might remember an AI-generated image of a young girl that went viral during Hurricane Helene last October; she's not real, but at first glance, it's easy to assume she is. Late last month, Google unveiled an update to its generative video model, Veo 3. The technology can now create short, high-quality videos with natural sounds that are entirely artificial. 'I think it's far more useful to educate people about how to use internet capacity, how to use artificial intelligence capacity. Education is the elixir for a lot of this. Not so much legislation,' Tompkins said, adding it's especially important for less tech-savvy generations to keep up. He said that artificial intelligence detector technology has been mostly able to keep up, but especially with audio and video, it's not quite foolproof. Funeral arrangements released for former Kentucky Rep. Charles Miller Artificial intelligence is getting tougher to spot in Kentucky: Media studies expert helps tell the difference Lexington man who escaped Lee County jail by imitating brother arrested And keep in mind there's the extreme possibility that something that appears to be AI-generated at first actually is real. 'There are extraordinary things that occur that just don't seem possible. You know, if we saw that video of the Hindenburg blowing up, I don't think any of us would believe it until we had some eyewitnesses that were truly believable,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
