Paramount settles with Trump over 60 Minutes Harris interview for $20 million
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CBS parent company Paramount is negotiating an US$8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media.
PHOTO: MARK ABRAMSON/NYTIMES
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NEW YORK – CBS parent company Paramount on July 2 settled a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump over an interview broadcast in October, the latest concession by a media company to a president who has targeted outlets over what he describes as false or misleading coverage.
Paramount said it would pay US$16 million (S$20 million) to settle the suit with the money allocated to Mr Trump’s future presidential library, and not paid to Mr Trump “directly or indirectly”.
“The settlement does not include a statement of apology or regret,” the company statement added.
Mr Trump filed a US$10 billion lawsuit
In an amended complaint filed in February, Mr Trump bumped his claim for damages to US$20 billion.
CBS aired two versions of the Harris interview in which she appears to give different answers to the same question about the Israel-Hamas war, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Texas.
CBS previously said the lawsuit was “completely without merit” and asked a judge to dismiss the case.
Paramount said it also agreed that 60 Minutes would release transcripts of interviews with future US presidential candidates after they aired, subject to redactions as required for legal or national security concerns.
The case entered mediation in April.
Mr Trump alleged CBS’ editing of the interview violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act, which makes it illegal to use false, misleading or deceptive acts in commerce.
Media advocacy groups said Mr Trump’s novel use of such laws against news outlets could be a way of circumventing legal protections for the press, which can be held liable for defamation against public figures only if they say something they knew or should have known was false.
The settlement comes as Paramount prepares for an US$8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, which will require approval from the US Federal Communications Commission.
On the campaign trail in 2024, Mr Trump threatened to revoke CBS’ broadcasting licence if elected.
He has repeatedly lashed out against the news media, often casting unfavourable coverage as “fake news”.
The Paramount settlement follows a decision by Walt Disney-owned ABC News to settle a defamation case
As part of that settlement, which was made public on Dec 14, the network donated US$15 million to Mr Trump’s presidential library and publicly apologised for comments by anchor George Stephanopoulos, who inaccurately said Mr Trump had been found liable for rape.
It also follows a second settlement, by Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms, which on Jan 29 said it agreed to pay about US$25 million
Trump has vowed to pursue more claims against the media.
On Dec 17, he filed a lawsuit against the Des Moines Register
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and an order barring the Des Moines Register from engaging in “ongoing deceptive and misleading acts and practices” related to polling.
A Des Moines Register representative said the organisation stands by its reporting and that the lawsuit was without merit.
On June 30, Mr Trump dropped the federal lawsuit and refiled it in an Iowa state court. REUTERS
