CBS News is still in the midst of potentially settling the lawsuit with Donald Trump over 60 Minutes. Scott Pelley posits that it will be damaging to the network.
While appearing on CNN ahead of the network’s live production of Good Night, And Good Luck on Saturday evening, Pelley was asked about the possibility that CBS News could settle and apologize to Trump over the lawsuit.
Pelley said that he didn’t believe it would be a good look for the network to do such a thing.
“It will be very damaging to CBS, to Paramount, to the reputation of those companies,” Pelley said. “I think many of the law firms that made deals with the White House are at this very moment regretting it. That doesn’t look like their finest hour.”
After Anderson Cooper, who also works at 60 Minutes, called the situation “strange,” Pelley continued by noting that it wouldn’t be only damaging to CBS News, but to journalism as a whole.
“You really wish the company was behind you 100%, right?” Pelley said. “You really wish the top echelons of the company would come out publicly and say, ‘60 Minutes, for example, is a crown jewel of American journalism, and we stand by it 100%.’ I haven’t heard that.”
“On the other hand, my work is getting on the air, and I have not had anyone outside 60 Minutes put their thumb on the scale and say, ‘You can’t say that. You should say this. You have to edit the story this way. You should interview this person.’ None of that has happened,” Pelley continued. “So I while I would like to have that public backing, maybe the more important thing is the work is still getting on the air.”
Donald Trump launched a lawsuit seeking $20 billion in damages after he claimed CBS News selectively edited an interview with his opponent in the 2024 presidential election — Kamala Harris — in an effort to help her win the office of the presidency.
Despite being labeled as “baseless” and “frivolous” by observers, the company has considered settling the lawsuit with President Trump as it seeks to complete a merger with Skydance, which would require government approval.
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