Ex-CBS anchor Dan Rather criticizes CBS and Paramount’s $16 million settlement with President Trump, calling it a setback for journalism.

Settlement Raises Press Freedom Concerns

Veteran broadcaster Dan Rather has condemned CBS News and its parent company Paramount Global for agreeing to a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, describing the move as “a sad day for journalism.” The settlement, reached on Tuesday, follows Trump’s lawsuit alleging deceptive editing by CBS’s ‘60 Minutes’ in an interview aired before the 2024 election.

Speaking to Variety, Rather expressed disappointment in the media conglomerate, stating, “It’s a sad day for ‘60 Minutes’ and CBS News. I hope people will read the details of this and understand what it was. It was distortion by the President and a kneeling down and saying, ‘yes, sir,’ by billionaire corporate owners.” He described the settlement as corporate capitulation, adding, “What really gets me about this is that Paramount didn’t have to settle. You settle a lawsuit when you’ve done something wrong. ‘60 Minutes’ did nothing wrong. It followed accepted journalistic practices.”

The agreement requires CBS and Paramount to pay Trump $16 million to cover legal fees, case costs, and contributions to future presidential library or charitable initiatives at Trump’s discretion. Sources indicate the companies may face further financial obligations, including funds for advertisements or public service announcements supporting conservative causes on the network.

Notably, CBS has also agreed to revise its editorial standards, instituting a new policy to promptly release full, unedited transcripts of future presidential candidate interviews. This concession marks a significant change in network protocol, aiming to address concerns about transparency and editorial manipulation.

Rather, who left CBS after a high-profile controversy involving coverage of President George W. Bush, defended his former colleagues, saying, “I do really think they fought a good fight on this, and they’ll continue to fight. The people on ‘60 Minutes’ and at CBS News didn’t just take it lying down.” He also acknowledged, “Big billionaire business people make decisions about money. We could always hope that they will make an exception when it comes to freedom of the press, but it wasn’t to be.”

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board joined the criticism, labeling Trump’s legal strategy against CBS as “lawfare” and warning that presidential lawsuits targeting the media threaten press freedom. The editorial stated, “The President is using government to intimidate news outlets that publish stories he doesn’t like. It’s a low move in a free country with a free press.”

The CBS and Paramount settlement, and the broader debate it has sparked, highlight ongoing tensions between the media and the White House, raising questions about journalistic independence and the future of press freedoms in the United States.