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The Free Press Must Stand Up To Trump
In a democracy, we rely on the free press to hold the powerful accountable.
But lately, some of the biggest news companies in the country are doing the opposite, giving into Donald Trump’s demands and putting their own profits first, instead of standing up for their journalists and the First Amendment.
Take CBS, for example. In October, Trump sued CBS for $10 billion, claiming they deceptively misrepresented former Vice President Kamala Harris in a “60 Minutes” interview. Legal experts have called Trump’s case “frivolous” and “ridiculous junk,” because there is no evidence that CBS did anything wrong. But instead of fighting back, CBS’s parent company Paramount is reportedly looking to settle the case.
Why? Because they need the government’s approval for a massive merger with Skydance Media, and Trump’s allies at the FCC hold the power to make or break the deal. Trump’s new FCC Chair, Brendan Carr, has said that the way “60 Minutes” edited the Harris interview could factor into the agency’s review of the merger.
Desperate to make this problem go away and move ahead with the merger that will put $1.75 billion in her family’s pocket, Paramount Global Chairwoman Shari Redstone has reportedly urged her team to settle with Trump. That might even mean paying more money than was initially asked; once the media outlet began to talk about settling, Trump revised his complaint to ask for $20 billion.
If CBS settles, they will be abandoning their journalists and capitulating to the administration that called for its reporters to “serve a very long prison sentence.”
And it’s not just one lawsuit or one company. Disney, owner of ABC News, recently settled with Trump for a total of $16 billion in response to a different lawsuit. And Trump is still suing other news outlets, including the Des Moines Register for publishing a poll predicting a Harris victory in Iowa, and the Pulitzer Prize Board for awarding journalists who reported on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections.
Meanwhile, Trump and his allies are ramping up pressure on the media in other dangerous ways. The FCC has reopened previously-closed complaints concerning ABC and NBC, while conveniently leaving out Fox News, which also had a complaint that was recently closed. The administration has also taken steps to make covering the federal government more difficult, including kicking publications like The New York Times and NPR out of their Pentagon offices, replacing them with friendly right-wing outlets such as The New York Post and Breitbart News Network.
The message is clear: if a news outlet doesn’t fall in line, it could be the next target.
Sometimes, Trump doesn’t even need to make public threats – the billionaire owners of papers will preemptively bow down for his approval. Jeff Bezos of The Washington Post and Patrick Soon-Shiong of The Los Angeles Times reportedly blocked their own newspapers’ editorial boards from endorsing Harris for president in 2024.
The other day, The Washington Post also pulled the plug last-minute on a Common Cause ad that was critical of Elon Musk, despite having run similar ads that have praised Trump. Are these billionaires more worried about keeping the powerful happy than they are about defending press freedom?
The First Amendment guarantees a free press because democracy depends on it. Journalists are supposed to expose corruption, fact-check our leaders, and inform the public. But if wealthy politicians can weaponize lawsuits to control what the media says, we lose one of our most important safeguards against abuses of power.
CBS and Paramount have a choice. They can do what’s easy: pay off Trump and protect their bottom line. Or they can do what’s right: stand up for their journalists and defend free speech.
In pursuit of a media that works for the people, not the powerful, we demand that they choose the latter.
Americans deserve a press that tells the truth, not one that caves to political pressure. It’s time to remind media companies of their duty: to inform the public, not to protect their profits.
That is why Common Cause sprung into action when it first learned of the potential settlement between CBS and Trump. We put out a call for action and our members responded. Our đơn kiến nghị asking CBS to NOT settle and sell out our democracy to boost their bottom line collected over 60,000 signatures.
Common Cause members spoke out, voicing their concerns on the potential settlement–
"A democracy needs a free press. Paramount Global is not acting responsibly and standing up for free speech. The media must be holding the powerful accountable. If Paramount cannot do it we need to find another news network willing to work for the American people.”E.B. from New York
"You're either part of the solution or part of the problem. What side of history will you stand on?"E.F. from Texas
“If CBS, my preferred news source, concedes to this absurd and provocative lawsuit, I, my extended family, and friends, will immediately remove CBS as a credible, informative source for true and necessary investigative journalism. It will be seen as an accomplice to the authoritarian takeover endeavor being undertaken by this administration.”G.R. from Delaware
"Your greed and abject cowardice in the face of a frivolous lawsuit is a threat to the truth and the survival of our democracy in these terrible times."J.C. from Michigan
As our friends at the United Church of Christ have pointed out, CBS has been here before. In 1971, CBS aired the documentary, The Selling of the Pentagon, which “sought to illuminate the massive spending of tax dollars to support pro-military propaganda during the Vietnam era.” The White House was led by another wannabe autocrat, President Nixon, and his allies in Congress led an investigation into CBS, during whose proceedings CBS President Frank Stanton risked potential jail time and refused a Congressional subpoena to produce unaired footage. His principled defense of the fourth estate led to an overturning of the subpoena in the House and famous victory for the free press.
Shari Redstone has a choice, she can capitulate to an autocratic President, to line her and her shareholder’s pockets, or she can uphold the legacy of Frank Stanton, and fight for the integrity of the journalists at CBS, fight for the freedom of the press, and fight for our democracy.