Following a well-documented act of journalistic manipulation by CBS where they edited an interview with Kamala Harris to fabricate her response to a question, President Trump sued CBS for $10 billion alleging ‘election interference and demonstrable bias.’
The editorial manipulation by CBS is not debatable, even Trump critics stood jaw-agape at how stunningly obvious the fabrication within the broadcast 60-minutes interview was. CBS didn’t even attempt to defend itself on the matter. {Background Link}
CBS parent company Paramount Global is currently in an acquisition/merger effort with Skydance Media. The FCC is currently reviewing the possibility of the deal. Here’s where it gets interesting.
Skydance Media is run by David Ellison, the son of billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. Larry Ellison is the background money behind Twitter, behind Elon Musk and deeply enmeshed with the Tech Bros motives and intents for gains in the new administration. Larry Ellison has a good relationship with Trump supporting his election.
According to the Wall Street Journal, CBS/Paramount are now considering a lawsuit settlement with Donald Trump that would support a more friendly relationship for their merger interests with David Ellison and Skydance Media. It’s a billionaire “big club” analytical decision.
(Via WSJ) – […] It’s become clear to executives at both companies that Trump’s dissatisfaction with CBS News will make the [FCC] review tougher than they anticipated, and that they’ll likely need to offer concessions to win approval, people familiar with the situation said.
Incoming Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr gave Paramount executives a warning to that effect at a reception late last year following the taping of the Kennedy Center honors in Washington, according to people familiar with the exchange, and he has echoed the message in public remarks.
The FCC has the authority over the transaction because it would involve the transfer of broadcast-TV licenses held by local CBS-owned stations.
Trump’s lawsuit against CBS, which seeks $10 billion in damages, alleges that the network committed election interference by editing portions of an interview with Harris, favoring her campaign for president. Trump claimed CBS aired one version of the interview on “60 Minutes” and another version on its show “Face the Nation,” each containing different answers about Israel. CBS has said it aired a more succinct version of Harris’s interview on “60 Minutes.”
[…] Paramount and Skydance executives have considered a number of possible changes the company could make to shore up CBS News editorial operations while reassuring Trump’s camp, including adding new processes around programming and possibly releasing the transcript of its “60 Minutes” interview with Harris, according to the people familiar with the situation. (read more)
