CBS News President Wendy McMahon has resigned rather than help the network grovel to Trump in a desperate bid to make a $20 billion lawsuit disappear and allow their corporate overlords to cash out.
At a Glance
- CBS News President Wendy McMahon resigned after refusing to agree with the company’s direction on a Trump lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” segment
- Trump is suing Paramount Global for $20 billion, claiming “60 Minutes” deceptively edited a Kamala Harris interview
- McMahon’s exit follows “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens’ departure, both standing their ground on journalistic principles
- Paramount’s controlling shareholder Shari Redstone is reportedly seeking to settle with Trump before selling the company to Skydance Media
Another Media Executive Chooses Principles Over Corporate Pressure
In what’s becoming a common tale of media executives being forced to choose between journalistic integrity and appeasing corporate overlords, CBS News President Wendy McMahon has thrown in the towel. McMahon resigned this week after disagreements with Paramount Global executives over handling a massive $20 billion lawsuit from President Donald Trump. The lawsuit, which many legal experts consider baseless but potentially expensive to fight, stems from a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris that Trump claims was deceptively edited.
McMahon made her position clear in her resignation, stating: “It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward. It’s time for me to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership.” Translation: I’m not going to help you throw journalism under the bus to save your corporate sale. McMahon’s departure shows she’s willing to stand by principles rather than cave to what appears to be corporate pressure to settle with Trump.
A Journalistic Exodus at CBS
McMahon isn’t alone in her principled exit. Her resignation follows closely behind that of Bill Owens, the former executive producer of “60 Minutes,” who departed with equally telling words: “Having defended this show — and what we stand for — from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward.” These back-to-back departures paint a disturbing picture of what’s happening behind the scenes at what was once considered a bastion of journalistic integrity.
“Thank you for your trust. You hold us accountable, and you remind us why this work matters.” – Wendy McMahon.
Adding intrigue to this media meltdown is the fact that Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, is actively seeking to resolve the Trump lawsuit before selling the company to Skydance Media in an $8 billion merger. Skydance, conveniently enough, is owned by David Ellison, a known Trump supporter. The whole situation reeks of corporate interests steamrolling journalistic independence to get a deal done – exactly the kind of swampy behavior Americans are sick of seeing from big media.
The Multi-Billion Dollar Lawsuit That’s Changing CBS
Trump’s lawsuit against CBS is no small matter – he’s seeking a whopping $20 billion in damages, claiming that “60 Minutes” committed election fraud by deceptively editing an interview with Kamala Harris. While legal experts believe CBS would likely prevail in court due to First Amendment protections, fighting the case would be expensive and potentially damaging to Paramount’s pending sale. What we’re watching is a textbook example of how the threat of litigation can be used to pressure media companies, regardless of the actual merits of the case.
“It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward.” – Wendy McMahon.
The controversy has even attracted the attention of FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who is reportedly investigating CBS for the Harris interview and supports Trump’s lawsuit. Meanwhile, CBS has appointed Susan Zirinsky to monitor the network’s standards, a move widely perceived as targeting “60 Minutes.” It seems CBS is preparing the groundwork for a climbdown rather than standing behind their journalism – exactly the kind of corporate capitulation that both McMahon and Owens apparently refused to be part of.
Corporate Interests vs. Journalistic Integrity
The pattern emerging at CBS mirrors what we’ve seen elsewhere in corporate media – when forced to choose between protecting journalistic independence and protecting the bottom line, executives increasingly choose the latter. According to reports, Redstone herself has been critical of CBS News management decisions, including the reprimanding of anchor Tony Dokoupil over his questioning of Ta-Nehisi Coates. The message seems clear: the corporate owners are increasingly unhappy with their news division’s editorial independence.
As McMahon helps with a brief transition period, Tom Cibrowski and Jennifer Mitchell will take over leadership at CBS News. Whether they’ll maintain the network’s journalistic standards or oversee a settlement and apology to Trump remains to be seen. What’s abundantly clear is that when the suits in the boardroom start meddling in the newsroom, the American public is the ultimate loser. And as more principled journalists and executives choose to walk away rather than compromise, we’re left to wonder what will be left of America’s once-proud tradition of an independent press.
