CBS News in distress amid Trump's pressure campaign: 'There's a lot of fear'
Source: CNN Business
Published 8:42 AM EDT, Tue May 20, 2025
CNN — Sometimes the arguments could be heard well down the hall. The topic was “60 Minutes,” and the tension was audible. CBS News chief Wendy McMahon was clashing with her bosses over upcoming stories on the newsmagazine — in part because President Trump’s legally dubious lawsuit against CBS meant that billions of dollars were at risk.
“Wendy was standing up for us,” a veteran CBS journalist said. “There’s a lot of fear about what happens with her gone now.” McMahon stepped down on Monday, under pressure from CBS parent Paramount Global, intensifying the impression that CBS News is in distress due to Trump’s political pressure and other business factors.
While CBS journalists are doing their jobs and covering the Trump administration assertively, Paramount lawyers are trying to strike a settlement with Trump, perhaps believing that such a deal will help secure the administration’s approval of a pending merger. With the Trump tug-of-war on everyone’s minds, getting and keeping “60 Minutes” on the air this spring was a week-by-week challenge, according to people at the network.
McMahon repeatedly defended the program in conversations with Paramount Global co-CEO George Cheeks, who himself was under pressure from controlling shareholder Shari Redstone. While some of the internal battles have been previously reported, five sources who spoke with CNN on condition of anonymity said the fights were much more fraught than the viewing public realizes.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/20/media/cbs-news-distress-trump-pressure-60-minutes-fear-mcmahon
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