Paramount Global should do whatever it takes to marshal its legal resources, and dedicate whatever amount of money it will take to fight, fight, fight Trump’s
meritless lawsuit against CBS News.
However, the company has a major concern that the Trump administration will
retaliate against it by using regulatory power to deny its $8 billion merger with Skydance Media.
Thus, the conflict is standing up for a principle on the
one hand, and putting business interests first on the other hand.
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The people at the top of the Paramount Global food chain might even argue that the very
survival of the company hangs in the balance if this merger doesn’t go through. It represents an existential threat, they might say.
According to news
reports this week, lawyers for Trump and Paramount have entered into the mediation process with the aim of settling the suit out of court.
Trump’s suit
has to do with the way CBS News allegedly edited a sound bite from an interview that aired last October on “60 Minutes” with then-Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
The interview was for “60 Minutes,” but it was promoted with sound bites on “Face the
Nation” and in promo spots.
Trump threw a hissy fit. His brain churned until he came up with the idea
that “60 Minutes” editors had manipulated what Harris said in such as a way as to constitute a deliberate intention to sway public opinion and get her elected.
So, he filed a $10 billion suit accusing CBS News of election fraud. A few months later, he upped the demand for damages to $20 billion.
Just this week, he posted another one of his overheated outbursts on TruthSocial: “The bottom line is that what 60 Minutes and its corporate owners have committed is one of the most
egregious illegalities in Broadcast History.”
To make this kind of statement, a person would have to be well-informed, indeed, on the topic of “broadcast
history.”
However, there is no evidence to suggest that Donald Trump has ever cracked open a history book on this topic or any other one.
Meanwhile, to settle out of court with Trump, it is believed that Paramount will have to agree to pay an as-yet unspecified amount in damages, and also issue an
apology.
The prospect of this apology was said to be part of “60 Minutes” executive producer
Bill Owen’s decision to resign last month rather than be put in a position to be the one who apologizes.
First Amendment scholars and lawyers have
stated all over the place for months that the lawsuit is poppycock. The TV Blog agrees that this suit would likely be easy to defeat in court.
Basically, Trump is saying he didn’t like how this news organization edited some tiny sound bite that
everybody probably forgot five minutes after it aired. And because he didn’t like it, he thinks he is owed $20 billion.
No pun intended, but money and business interests will likely trump principle and honor in this case.
But at the same time, what
will that feel like to capitulate to Trump and settle a temper tantrum masquerading as a lawsuit?
The reality is that Paramount Global is the owner and steward of CBS News, a
respected brand if there ever was one.
It is an asset, and Paramount is obligated morally if not financially to
maintain and nurture as it would any other asset.
This is one reason why the company should fight this lawsuit, merger or no merger. The other reason is, it
is the right thing to do.