Shari Redstone Wants ‘60 Minutes’ To Delay Planned Anti-Trump Stories, Worried They’re Endangering Merger: Report

The nonexecutive chairwoman of CBS’s parent company, Paramount, Shari Redstone, has inquired if “60 Minutes” might delay broadcasting negative stories about President Trump while Paramount seeks government approval to be acquired by Skydance.“60 Minutes,” the venerable news magazine program, has dedicated much of its show in recent weeks to attacks on Mr. Trump’s policies and budget cuts. The coverage has enraged the president, who is already suing CBS for $20 billion over its selectively edited interview with Vice President Harris in October 2024. Multiple reports have indicated that Ms. Redstone has grown increasingly frustrated with “60 Minutes,” first with its coverage of Israel and now also with its fervent attacks on Mr. Trump, which it’s been broadcasting despite (or perhaps because of) the ongoing legal dispute between the president and CBS.Ms. Redstone reportedly pushed the CEO of CBS News and Stations, Wendy McMahon, to fire the outgoing executive producer of “60 Minutes,” Bill Owens, after the storied news magazine program aired a segment about Department of State dissent over America’s response to Israel’s war against Hamas. The report was labeled “shockingly one-sided” against the Jewish state by the American Jewish Committee. After that report, CBS News announced that a rival of Mr. Owens, Susan Zirinsky, would oversee standards at the network, specifically for Middle East coverage.However, the push to fire Mr. Owens and add some internal guardrails to prevent anti-Israel coverage was apparently not the only form of interference from Ms. Redstone. Puck News’s Dylan Byers reports that amid Mr. Trump’s lawsuit and his regular denunciations of the network on social media — including suggesting that the FCC should impose the “maximum fines and punishment” — Ms. Redstone fretted about even more intense scrutiny of the Paramount-Skydance deal. Ms. Redstone, who stands to make billions of dollars when the merger consummates, reportedly asked the CEO of CBS and co-executive of Paramount, George Cheeks, if “60 Minutes” could hold off on stories about Mr. Trump and his administration until the FCC approved the Skydance deal. “60 Minutes” recently aired negative segments about Mr. Trump’s slashing of the budget for USAID, his designs upon Greenland, and cuts to the NIH. This coming Sunday, “60 Minutes” is planning to air another anti-Trump report, this one on his battle with corporate law firms who hired his opponents and perform pro bono work to undermine his policies, including his crackdown on the border.A longtime media reporter for the Associated Press, David Bauder, wrote an article last month celebrating the network’s “unflinching” coverage of the administration. The Skydance acquisition requires approval from the FCC, and the regulatory agency’s Trump-appointed chairman, Brendan Carr, has signaled that the Harris interview could factor into the review process. The current deadline for the deal to be completed is July 6.Ms. Redstone believes that a way to ensure the deal is approved is to settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit. The board of Paramount agreed on terms of a potential deal they would find acceptable during an April 18 meeting, according to the New York Times. While Ms. Redstone has been a vocal supporter of a settlement, she also reportedly recused herself from the board’s discussions about trying to resolve the lawsuit due to the windfall her family is set to receive from the transaction. Paramount did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication. Mr. Owens, the “60 Minutes” chief, resigned last week in what has been seen as a forced ouster, as he said he had lost the ability to “make independent decisions based on what was right for ‘60 Minutes.’” This past Sunday, a “60 Minutes” reporter, Scott Pelley aired criticism of Paramount’s conduct at the end of the program.Mr. Owens’s departure has led to questions about whether other news personalities may be fired or leave the network. In the news division, anonymous staffers have told multiple news outlets there is a sense of fear about the future of their journalistic independence and concerns about more corporate interference.Meanwhile, liberal journalists have attacked Ms. Redstone, suggesting that she is caving to Mr. Trump to secure a huge payout if the Skydance deal is approved. Mr. Byers notes, however, that there is a more charitable view of her actions, which is that the merger is seen as providing a necessary cash infusion to save Paramount, one of the last major studios in Hollywood and a major source of jobs. Skydance is owned by David Ellison, the son of Larry Ellison, the fourth-richest American. If Paramount isn’t purchased by a billionaire scion, Mr. Byers has said on a Puck podcast, natural economic forces would likely drive Paramount into the hands of a private equity firm, ultimately resulting in the dissolution of the studio entirely. Throughout the years-long process of trying to sell Paramount, Ms. Redstone held out for a buyer who would keep the business intact.So far, it seems that CBS is maintaining CBS News’s independence. In his stunning, on-air rebuke of Paramount, Mr. Pelley noted, referring to Mr. Owens: “None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”Mr. Pelley’s impudence initially fueled speculation that it could lead to his firing. However, a far-left journalist, Oliver Darcy, reported that Mr. Cheeks and Ms. McMahon knew Mr. Pelley planned to address Mr. Owens’s ouster and did not intervene to stop it. Ms. McMahon is believed to be a strong supporter of the independence of “60 Minutes,” and there is speculation she might resign if a settlement of Mr. Trump’s lawsuit would require an apology. According to Mr. Byers, she is likely to be fired once the Skydance deal closes. However, Mr. Cheeks’s future may be less precarious even as he is in a difficult position of trying to balance Ms. Redstone’s frustrations with the news division’s concerns and keep his potential new bosses at Skydance — who are also eager to ensure the deal is approved — happy.

Shari Redstone Wants ‘60 Minutes’ To Delay Planned Anti-Trump Stories, Worried They’re Endangering Merger: Report

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