Fear Grips CBS News as Incoming Owner Sits Near Trump at UFC Event Amid Settlement Talks Over ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit, Harsh Words From President

A picture of President Trump seated near David Ellison, the Oracle scion whose company Skydance is in the process of acquiring CBS Inc.’s parent company, Paramount, has reportedly deeply unnerved the staff of reliably liberal CBS News.Mr. Ellison, who is son of the billionaire Larry Ellison, was seen seated very close to Mr. Trump at UFC 314 on Saturday in Florida. The well-connected anti-Trump press reporter, Oliver Darcy, reported in his Status newsletter that Mr. Ellison “spent the night socializing with members of Trump’s inner circle.” Puck says Mr. Ellison was a guest of Ari Emmanuel, whose company Endeavor owns UFC.The socializing did not stop the president from firing off a lengthy post on Truth Social criticizing CBS News’ “60 Minutes” for airing two critical stories about his administration roughly 24 hours later. Mr. Trump mentioned his lawsuit against “60 Minutes” over its selective editing of an October 2024 interview with Vice President Harris, which is currently the subject of settlement negotiations between Paramount and Mr. Trump. CBS News producers are reportedly horrified at the prospect of a settlement, especially if it involves an apology and acknowledgement of wrongdoing. “There is no indication of what, if anything, was discussed between Trump and Ellison. A spokesperson for Ellison declined to comment on the matter. But the optics of the moment were unmistakable,” Mr. Darcy reports. “The prospective new owner of CBS News—an outlet Trump has repeatedly smeared with dishonest attacks—was smiling and having a great time alongside the very man calling for it to be punished. Given that Ellison’s Skydance deal requires federal approval, notably a license transfer signed off by Carr himself, the encounter alone has a deeper significance as the merger hangs in limbo.”One source told Mr. Darcy, “It’s dejecting for reporters and producers to see one day before the president attacks ‘60 Minutes’—again—for doing accurate and fair journalism.”“Anyone who believed Ellison might be a breath of fresh air after Redstone and have the backbone to run a principled news organization is feeling pretty naive today,” the person added. Mr. Darcy suggested that it is understandable for CBS News employees to feel upset about the optics, and at the very least Mr. Ellison spending time around the “MAGA crowd,” because Mr. Trump and his allies routinely attack the network and accuse it of a left-wing and anti-Israel bias. CBS News has long faced accusations of a liberal bias. However, the network has experienced a particularly brutal stretch of intense scrutiny that began in October when the former head of newsgathering, Adrienne Roark, criticized one of the network’s star morning anchors, Tony Dokoupil, for the questions he asked best-selling author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his new anti-Israel book, “The Message.”During the interview, Mr. Dokoupil asked why Mr. Coates did not mention the threats Israel faces. The interview was praised as “heartfelt” by the Washington Post, but it deeply upset CBS News staffers, and their complaints made it to the ears of top executives. During a meeting on the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attack, Ms. Roark said the interview did not meet the Tiffany Network’s editorial standards. After the audio of the reprimand was leaked, the matriarch of the family that controls Paramount, Shari Redstone, said the executives made a mistake and took Mr. Dokoupil out to lunch.The trouble for the network did not stop there, as guidance was leaked that warned staffers against referring to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and calling members of Hamas terrorists.CBS News came under fire again after its editing of Ms. Harris’ October interview with “60 Minutes” was discovered. During the pre-taped interview, journalist Bill Whitaker asked Ms. Harris a question about Israel, and she responded with what critics call “word salad.” In the version that aired on “60 Minutes,” the vice president’s answer was concise and more coherent than her full response. The editing was exposed, however, after CBS News released two different versions of the answer on its lesser platforms. CBS News insists the edit was not deceptive, but it refused to release the transcript of the interview until it was ordered to do so by the Federal Communications Commission earlier this year.The interview led to a $20 billion lawsuit from Mr. Trump, who says it could have cost him the 2024 election, and led to a “news distortion” investigation, which President Biden’s FCC dismissed. However, it was revived by the Trump-appointed chairman of the regulator, Brendan Carr. Amid the lawsuit and “news distortion” investigation is the prospective Paramount-Skydance merger, which needs to be approved by the FCC. Ms. Redstone and the executive expected to run Paramount once the merger goes through, Jeff Shell, believe that the way to ensure the deal goes through is to settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit, according to Mr. Darcy.Last week, Mr. Trump and Paramount agreed on a mediator to try to settle the lawsuit. In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Mr. Trump alleged CBS News did “everything possible to illegally elect Kamala, including completely and corruptly changing major answers to Interview questions.”“They should lose their license! Hopefully, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as headed by its Highly Respected Chairman, Brendan Carr, will impose the maximum fines and punishment, which is substantial, for their unlawful and illegal behavior,” he wrote. In February, he told reporters he believes CBS News should pay “a lot” for the edits. The prospect of a settlement is roiling the staff at CBS News. Executives at Paramount have expressed concern that a settlement could lead to legal problems and allegations of a bribe, according to the Wall Street Journal. One way to try to refute those allegations would be to admit the network erred in its editing of the Harris interview.However, the chief executive of CBS News, Wendy McMahon, and the executive producer of “60 Minutes,” Bill Owens, have said that an apology for the editing is a “red line” they will not cross, Mr. Darcy reports. If Ms. McMahon, Mr. Owens, and the staff at CBS hoped that the Skydance merger would usher in a new period of executives who more align with their views, multiple reports and news of Mr. Ellison’s time around the president seem to indicate that their hopes will not come to fruition. Their resistance to their bosses’ wishes could lead to firings and other departures at the network. Ms. Roark was believed to have been pushed out after just seven months on the job. Meanwhile, Puck’s Matt Belloni said on his podcast “The Town” that he expects Ms. McMahon will “be gone in six months.”Besides the internal turmoil at the network, potential new bosses will have to grapple with how to reverse the ratings slide that several key programs are experiencing. CBS Evening News has seen its rating drop after a botched revamp undertaken at the behest of Ms. McMahon and engineered by Mr. Owens. Meanwhile, one of its main money-makers, CBS Mornings, saw its total viewers drop below 2 million in the last two weeks of March. CBS News did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.

Fear Grips CBS News as Incoming Owner Sits Near Trump at UFC Event Amid Settlement Talks Over ‘60 Minutes’ Lawsuit, Harsh Words From President

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