Latest news with #JohnDickerson
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CBS News anchor swipes at parent company for settling Trump lawsuit ‘it said is without basis in law and fact'
John Dickerson ended Wednesday's broadcast of CBS Evening News by subtly swiping at the network's corporate boss Paramount for shelling out $16 million to settle Donald Trump's lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview, noting that the company itself said the president's case 'is without basis in law and fact.' The veteran anchor's commentary was even more pointed on the show he hosts for the network's streaming platform, as he noted that the settlement 'poses a new obstacle' for the network's journalists. 'Can you hold power to account after paying it millions? Can an audience trust you when it thinks you've traded away that trust?' Dickerson pondered. Journalists and free speech advocates have absolutely pilloried Paramount for capitulating to the media-bashing president in a case that legal experts described as frivolous and the network's own lawyers said was completely without merit, warning that it sets an increasingly dangerous precedent. 'Behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated,' the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression stated. '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.' Beyond that, the company is facing the threat of civil litigation and congressional probes over allegations that it violated anti-bribery statutes, as Paramount needs the Trump administration to approve its massive $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media. Paramount, for its part, has insisted that the lawsuit is 'completely separate from, and unrelated to' the transaction and the FCC approval process. At the end of Wednesday's telecast of CBS Evening News, Dickerson delivered a fairly straightforward recap of the settlement and what led up to it, which was the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris just ahead of the 2024 election. 'Under the terms of the settlement worked out with a mediator, Paramount will pay $16 million to cover Mr. Trump's legal costs. Whatever's left will go to his presidential library. No money will be paid directly to the president,' Dickerson noted. 'The settlement does not require an apology or expression of regret for the editing of the interview, which was done in accordance with long-held CBS News standards and widely accepted journalistic practices.' The news host also pointed out that despite Trump's allegations that CBS ran a different portion of Harris' answer to a question during a Face the Nation promotional clip to make her look better, the network has repeatedly denied this. Additionally, Dickerson explained that the 60 Minutes transcript revealed that the president falsely claimed the network had pulled a response from another question asked of Harris and 'deceptively edited' it in. After telling viewers that a senior Paramount executive told shareholders this week that the corporation only settled to avoid what he called the 'high and somewhat unpredictable costs of legal defense, Dickerson brought up that this took place as the company is looking to close the Skydance merger. 'That deal needs Trump administration approval,' he concluded. 'The corporation said the settlement of the Trump lawsuit is completely separate from and unrelated to the merger. In the end, Paramount decided to settle a suit it said is without basis in law and fact and an affront to the First Amendment.' Over on CBS Evening News Plus, which airs on Paramount's streamers, Dickerson was even less sparing in his criticism of the network's corporate overlords. 'We pride ourselves on our BS detector, so it ought to work on ourselves, too. When it doesn't, the stakes are real, a loss of public trust, the spread of misinformation,' he said in a monologue focused on Paramount's payoff to the president. 'A visitor to our newsrooms might wonder why we debate a single word for so long, why it takes hours to answer the simple question, what is this story about, why there's a cry of frustration when a detail is off by an inch,' Dickerson continued. 'That is what it looks like when it is deeply felt, when the audience's concerns become ours, passed by bucket brigade from the subjects of our stories to correspondents, to producers, to editors, fact-checkers, and writers.' Noting that the 'obstacles to getting it right are many,' he then declared that the settlement 'poses a new obstacle' before asking: 'Can you hold power to account after paying it millions? Can an audience trust you when it thinks you've traded away that trust?' In the end, he pointed out, 'the audience will decide that' and that job of CBS News' journalists is 'to show up' and 'honor what we witness on behalf of the people we witness it for.' The conglomerate, which is hoping to complete its merger later this month, could soon be staring down lawsuits and investigations over claims that it 'bribed' the president in order to push the Skydance deal through. 'Today is a dark day for press freedom. Paramount's spineless decision to settle Trump's baseless and patently unconstitutional lawsuit is an insult to the journalists of '60 Minutes' and an invitation to Trump to continue targeting other news outlets,' Freedom of the Press Foundation said in a statement. The advocacy group is also gearing up to pursue legal action on behalf of shareholders to 'stop this affront' and hold the company's board accountable. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who had warned Paramount in May that a settlement could potentially violate laws against bribery, promised to challenge the settlement in both Congress and the courts. 'This looks like bribery in plain sight,' Warren said on Wednesday. 'Paramount folded at the same time it needs Trump's approval for a billion-dollar merger. I'm calling for an investigation into whether any anti-bribery laws were broken, and I'm working on a new bill to rein in this kind of corruption.' Meanwhile, CBS News staffers past and present are expressing despair and fear over what the settlement means for the once-revered network and its newsmagazine, which has already lost two respected newsroom leaders due to tensions surrounding the company's handling of the lawsuit. 'No one is a fan of Shari right now,' one network staffer told The Independent, referencing Paramount chair Shari Redstone, who was the driving force behind the decision to settle. 'People are still angry and frustrated and morale is very low.' Former CBS News correspondent Armen Keteyian called the settlement 'the nadir for the network' and 'a breach of the public trust Murrow, Cronkite, Hewitt and thousands of us worked decades to build.'
The Hill
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
CBS News anchor: ‘The Paramount settlement poses a new obstacle'
CBS News anchor John Dickerson referenced the recent settlement between the network's parent company Paramount and President Trump as part of his sign off on the broadcaster's evening news cast. 'The Paramount settlement poses a new obstacle. Can you hold power to account after paying it millions? Can an audience trust you when it thinks you've traded away that trust?' Dickerson asked at the end of Wednesday's broadcast. 'The audience will decide that. Our job is to show up, to honor what we witness on behalf of the people we witness it for,' the anchor said in comments first highlighted by Mediate. Paramount on Wednesday announced it would pay Trump's future presidential library $16 million and release transcripts of all future interviews with presidential candidates to settle the suit brought by Trump last fall. The move has faced some criticism from lawmakers and others. The president alleged in his suit the network purposely edited a '60 Minutes' interview with former Vice President Harris last fall to make the then-Democratic presidential nominee seem more coherent. CBS defended its editing in court and public statements, but rumors of a settlement swirled for months as Paramount works to secure a mega merger with entertainment giant Skydance, which will need approval from Trump administration regulators.
The Independent
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
CBS News anchor swipes at parent company for settling Trump lawsuit ‘it said is without basis in law and fact'
John Dickerson ended Wednesday's broadcast of CBS Evening News by subtly swiping at the network's corporate boss Paramount for shelling out $16 million to settle Donald Trump's lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview, noting that the company itself said the president's case 'is without basis in law and fact.' The veteran anchor's commentary was even more pointed on the show he hosts for the network's streaming platform, as he noted that the settlement 'poses a new obstacle' for the network's journalists. 'Can you hold power to account after paying it millions? Can an audience trust you when it thinks you've traded away that trust?' Dickerson pondered. Journalists and free speech advocates have absolutely pilloried Paramount for capitulating to the media-bashing president in a case that legal experts described as frivolous and the network's own lawyers said was completely without merit, warning that it sets an increasingly dangerous precedent. 'Behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated,' the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression stated. '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.' Beyond that, the company is facing the threat of civil litigation and congressional probes over allegations that it violated anti-bribery statutes, as Paramount needs the Trump administration to approve its massive $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media. Paramount, for its part, has insisted that the lawsuit is 'completely separate from, and unrelated to' the transaction and the FCC approval process. At the end of Wednesday's telecast of CBS Evening News, Dickerson delivered a fairly straightforward recap of the settlement and what led up to it, which was the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris just ahead of the 2024 election. 'Under the terms of the settlement worked out with a mediator, Paramount will pay $16 million to cover Mr. Trump's legal costs. Whatever's left will go to his presidential library. No money will be paid directly to the president,' Dickerson noted. 'The settlement does not require an apology or expression of regret for the editing of the interview, which was done in accordance with long-held CBS News standards and widely accepted journalistic practices.' The news host also pointed out that despite Trump's allegations that CBS ran a different portion of Harris' answer to a question during a Face the Nation promotional clip to make her look better, the network has repeatedly denied this. Additionally, Dickerson explained that the 60 Minutes transcript revealed that the president falsely claimed the network had pulled a response from another question asked of Harris and 'deceptively edited' it in. After telling viewers that a senior Paramount executive told shareholders this week that the corporation only settled to avoid what he called the 'high and somewhat unpredictable costs of legal defense, Dickerson brought up that this took place as the company is looking to close the Skydance merger. 'That deal needs Trump administration approval,' he concluded. 'The corporation said the settlement of the Trump lawsuit is completely separate from and unrelated to the merger. In the end, Paramount decided to settle a suit it said is without basis in law and fact and an affront to the First Amendment.' Over on CBS Evening News Plus, which airs on Paramount's streamers, Dickerson was even less sparing in his criticism of the network's corporate overlords. 'We pride ourselves on our BS detector, so it ought to work on ourselves, too. When it doesn't, the stakes are real, a loss of public trust, the spread of misinformation,' he said in a monologue focused on Paramount's payoff to the president. 'A visitor to our newsrooms might wonder why we debate a single word for so long, why it takes hours to answer the simple question, what is this story about, why there's a cry of frustration when a detail is off by an inch,' Dickerson continued. 'That is what it looks like when it is deeply felt, when the audience's concerns become ours, passed by bucket brigade from the subjects of our stories to correspondents, to producers, to editors, fact-checkers, and writers.' Noting that the 'obstacles to getting it right are many,' he then declared that the settlement 'poses a new obstacle' before asking: 'Can you hold power to account after paying it millions? Can an audience trust you when it thinks you've traded away that trust?' In the end, he pointed out, 'the audience will decide that' and that job of CBS News' journalists is 'to show up' and 'honor what we witness on behalf of the people we witness it for.' The conglomerate, which is hoping to complete its merger later this month, could soon be staring down lawsuits and investigations over claims that it 'bribed' the president in order to push the Skydance deal through. 'Today is a dark day for press freedom. Paramount's spineless decision to settle Trump's baseless and patently unconstitutional lawsuit is an insult to the journalists of '60 Minutes' and an invitation to Trump to continue targeting other news outlets,' Freedom of the Press Foundation said in a statement. The advocacy group is also gearing up to pursue legal action on behalf of shareholders to 'stop this affront' and hold the company's board accountable. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who had warned Paramount in May that a settlement could potentially violate laws against bribery, promised to challenge the settlement in both Congress and the courts. 'This looks like bribery in plain sight,' Warren said on Wednesday. 'Paramount folded at the same time it needs Trump's approval for a billion-dollar merger. I'm calling for an investigation into whether any anti-bribery laws were broken, and I'm working on a new bill to rein in this kind of corruption.' Meanwhile, CBS News staffers past and present are expressing despair and fear over what the settlement means for the once-revered network and its newsmagazine, which has already lost two respected newsroom leaders due to tensions surrounding the company's handling of the lawsuit. 'No one is a fan of Shari right now,' one network staffer told The Independent, referencing Paramount chair Shari Redstone, who was the driving force behind the decision to settle. 'People are still angry and frustrated and morale is very low.' Former CBS News correspondent Armen Keteyian called the settlement 'the nadir for the network' and 'a breach of the public trust Murrow, Cronkite, Hewitt and thousands of us worked decades to build.'
Fox News
03-07-2025
- Business
- Fox News
CBS anchor claims Paramount settlement with Trump poses 'new obstacles' for journalists at the network
CBS News anchor John Dickerson lamented parent company Paramount's multi-million dollar settlement with President Donald Trump on Wednesday. "Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News, settled a suit with President Trump today," Dickerson said on CBS Evening News Plus, a news program on their streaming service. "Journalists don't like to report on themselves. Sometimes that's false humility. Mostly, it's a practical limitation. Reporters try to find order in chaos." Dickerson said the settlement and ones like it hinder the press' ability to "hold power to account." "The Paramount settlement poses a new obstacle," Dickerson said. "Can you hold power to account after paying it millions? Can an audience trust you when it thinks you've traded away that trust? The audience will decide that our job is to show up to honor what we witness." Fox News Digital has learned that the sum being paid to Trump could reach north of $30 million with $16 million being paid upfront for his future presidential library, in addition to another allocation in the eight figures set aside for advertisements, public service announcements, or other similar transmissions, in support of conservative causes by the network in the future. Current Paramount management disputes the additional allocation, and a source familiar with Paramount's current leadership told Fox New Digital only $16 million was sanctioned by the official mediator, and they have no knowledge of any deal Trump made with incoming ownership as Paramount is set to merge with David Ellison's Skydance Media. However, Fox News Digital has learned that the incoming ownership will be responsible for the additional allocation. During the "CBS Evening News" program, which airs on broadcast TV to a much-wider audience, Dickerson had less to say about the settlement. "In the end, Paramount decided to settle a suit it said is without basis in law and fact and an affront to the First Amendment," Dickerson said, quoting from a previous filing from Paramount. Trump initially sought $20 billion in his lawsuit against CBS over its handling of a "60 Minutes" interview last year with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing the network of election interference leading up to the 2024 contest. CBS is not acknowledging any journalistic wrongdoing with the settlement.
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Report: How CBS bosses are dealing with tanking Evening News revamp
By CBS is staying the course with its widely ridiculed dual-anchor 'Evening News' setup - despite slumping ratings. The development, confirmed by two people 'close to the show' comes four months after Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson stepped in for Norah O'Donnell. The insiders shared the details to The LA Times, days after new Nielsen numbers showed CBS Evenings is only scoring 3.637 million total viewers - down five percent from the week before and 14 percent for the year. In terms of the important 25-54 demo, the drop-off was even worse, with 482,000 viewers representing declines of 9 percent and 22 percent for those two timeframes. Moreover, much of the bleeding has been seen since February, when a former CBS News exec framed the approach as 'a disaster' in comments to Months later, the sources who spoke to The Times said management continues to support the approach - and that there are no planned changes. People who man the broadcast but were not authorized to speak on the matter added the show has already moved to shorter pieces, after the re-imagining's longer-form, more magazine-style stories fell flat. Producers are now expected to get more notes from Tom Cibrowski, the network's new president, in coming days, sources said - a little over a month after the former ABC exec was tapped to helm the embattled station. The Times piece notes how Cibrowski's old employer - the subject of a since-settled defamation suit filed by Donald Trump - is more devoted to curating content that's viewer-friendly rather than timey and poignant. Seemingly at odds with this approach are those helming the eye network's other top news show, 60 Minutes - currently the subject of a separate suit from the president that remains ongoing. Since Trump's suit was filed last fall, the show has remained persistent in its coverage of his administration and its policies. Last Sunday, longtime correspondent Scott Pelley used the once-prestigious platform to report on Trump's recent use of executive orders to hone in on law firms whom he's accused of 'weaponizing' the justice system. The segment came days after Paramount Global controlling shareholder Shari Redstone reportedly asked CBS execs to delay airing sensitive stories surrounding the president in April, and it took a decidedly critical tone. Redstone, the daughter of Sumner Redstone, was said to have asked execs to refrain until after a planned merger with Skydance Media goes through. Pelley appeared to complain to viewers about this dynamic in late April, days after the sudden, scornful resignation of longtime Executive Producer Bill Owens - the same man said to have been behind the visibly 60 Minutes-esque revamp of CBS Evenings. The longtime 60 Minutes boss was enlisted to help oversee Evening News last summer by Wendy McMahon, the CBS News and Stations CEO said to be next on the chopping block , Puck first reported following disastrous ratings seen in February. It has also spawned a ratings slump that has raised alarm bells across the industry. 'I would say it's a five-alarm fire,' a veteran television news exec further told Status on about ratings O'Donnell's replacements garnered in its initial days that have only worsened. 'It's mind boggling,' a veteran producer who spent a decade at the network further added of the strategy. 'They took the "news" out of the "Evening News!" It's not surprising the audience is leaving.' 'It's a disaster,' a former CBS News exec told at the time. 'It's been critically panned, ratings down week by week and from this time last year,' 'Owens is also overstretched and feeling the pressure with this lawsuit from Donald Trump,' the insider said, just weeks before the exec's abrupt exit . Statistics released by Nielsen during the first week of Owens and McMahon's experiment supported those theories - with total viewership down 14 percent year-over-year. The numbers released last week showed no improvement, after the former exec emphatically told 'The experiment is failing.' The 'veteran' television exec who spoke to Status said more of the same, asking incredulously, 'Why did McMahon and Owens decide to try to reinvent the "Evening News" in this challenging moment? 'Any excuse you give the audience to change their habit is a massive risk.' Owens, 58, announced he is leaving 60 Minutes on April 22, saying he was 'losing his journalistic independence.' 'So, having defended this show - and what we stand for - from every angle, over time with everything I could,' he wrote to staffers in a memo that was leaked to the New York Times. 'I am stepping aside so the show can move forward.' Owens - a respected figure who recently helped overhaul CBS's Evening News - went on to promise that '60 Minutes will continue to cover the new administration,' calling it 'too important to the country.' He had been the executive producer of the CBS newsmagazine since 2019 - the third-ever to hold the distinction. He added during a separate '60 Minutes' staff meeting attended by the show's top team members: 'It's clear the company is done with me.' Pelley, in the next 60 Minutes show to air after Owens' ouster, complained that journalists had been facing increased corporate oversight. The pending sale of parent company Paramount Global to Skydance Media requires federal approval, hence the CBS parent's hesitance to enter a legal war with the president. On Wednesday, Paramount co-Chief Executive George Cheeks sought to rally his stations' reporters in CBS's newsroom, reportedly telling them, 'This is an unprecedented, challenging time for the industry... and for our company in particular.' 'For me, what's most important as a leader is how you show up in a difficult time,' he continued. 'My biggest goal is to make sure that the team feels supported and that we recognize that we have to focus on what we can control.' 'We're going to get through this,' he went on to insist, promising to protect his 'entire team.' McMahon, meanwhile, will likely be forced out before the Skydance deal goes through, sources familiar with the talks told Puck.
