Freedom of the Press Foundation says it will sue Paramount if it settles with Trump over 60 Minutes lawsuit

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

Saturday 24 May 2025 04:46 BST


The Freedom of the Press Foundation says it intends to sue Paramount if the production company settles with Donald Trump over his 60 Minutes lawsuit. The non-profit organization said that corporations that own news outlets “should not be in the business” of settling “baseless lawsuits that clearly violate the First Amendment and put other media outlets at risk.”

Trump sued the parent company of CBS News over a primetime election special that aired in October, shortly before the 2024 presidential election. It featured interviews with presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz. The president accused the broadcaster of “unlawful and illegal behavior” in the way it had edited the interview with Harris. Trump and vice president JD Vance had declined to participate in the program.

Interviews are always edited to fit into a program’s time limits, as well as for “teaser clips” to promote an upcoming program. CBS has denied Trump’s claim that any part of Harris’ interview was “deceitfully” edited.

In a letter addressed to Paramount Global boss Shari Redstone, FPF Director of Advocacy Seth Stern compared a settlement of the “meritless” lawsuit to a bribe, saying it “may well be a thinly veiled effort to launder bribes through the court system.” Not only would it “tank CBS’s reputation but, as three U.S. senators recently explained, it could put Paramount executives at risk of breaking the law,” he wrote.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/fpf-paramount-lawsuit-trump-60-minutes-b2757059.html

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Link to FPF LETTER (PDF) - https://media.freedom.press/media/documents/Litigation_hold_ltr_to_S_Redstone.pdf

[TomSlick]

1. The attached letter answers my immediate question of standing.

The Freedom of the Press Foundation is a Paramount shareholder and would base standing on the ability to bring a shareholder's suit.

[NJCher]

2. Yes, right there in the first sentence

The letter is impressive in its organization and documentation.

Seth has these additional qualifications:

snip

Prior to joining FPF, Seth practiced media and First Amendment law at the Chicago law firm Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn Ltd. (FVLD). He remains affiliated with FVLD on an “Of Counsel” basis. He also chairs the Chicago Bar Association’s Media and Entertainment Law Committee and the American Bar Association TIPS Media, Privacy and Advertising Law Committee. Before law school, Seth worked as a reporter and editor in the Chicago and Atlanta areas. He lives in Evanston, Illinois.

snip

Am I ever glad they did this. I watched the Sanders, Warren, and Wyden comments, which made me nauseous at the thought that trump could scam the media for so much. It infuriated me that CBS was such a willing participant.

[TomSlick]

3. It's a great letter.

I'm glad I saw the link when I was pondering the standing question.

I have no experience with stockholder suits and cannot predict how far that would go. Perhaps just the threat of dealing with a stockholder suit will make Paramount consider more carefully before it pays blood money.

[NJCher]

4. I love it that this fool

runs into lawsuits, bad press, people walking off the job, etc. for all he's trying to do.

[Martin68]

5. This an important moment in the right to freedom of speech. I'm glad the Press Foundation is taking a stand.