This Sunday, “60 Minutes” is gearing up to air a crucial segment focused on the target of an executive order from President Trump’s law firm, even as Paramount Global is in talks to settle a significant lawsuit with him.
Correspondent Scott Perry, who recently accused Paramount of meddling with editorial decisions, is at the helm of this upcoming report.
Perry stirred up the news last week when he publicly called out his boss for allegedly obstructing coverage of the program.
“Bill looked into this. [the show’s reports] Perry shared with viewers. Approval from the Trump administration is necessary. Paramount is beginning to reshape how it oversees content. While none of our stories are outright blocked, Bill feels the essential independence for genuine journalism has been compromised.”
Sources indicate that Paramount’s head, Shari Redstone, has expressed her worries to CBS CEO George Cheek regarding the potentially critical nature of the segment about Trump and his policies. She suggested that perhaps it would be better to delay the airing until the merger between Paramount and Skydance Media concludes.
Yet, there’s escalating tension, as the president has criticized “60 Minutes” in various episodes.
There’s no clear evidence suggesting that increased scrutiny from “60 Minutes” has influenced programming decisions.
Representatives from CBS and Redstone refrained from making any comments.
In the meantime, mediation has kicked off between Paramount and Trump’s legal teams, aiming to find a resolution for a hefty $20 billion lawsuit linked to coverage that included an interview with Kamala Harris during her presidential run.
Settlement discussions are currently in progress as Paramount works to gain approval from the FCC for its merger with SkyDance.
The segment featuring Harris, which aired in October, is up for an Emmy Award nomination in the News and Documentary category for its edit.
Sources indicate that Trump is aiming for a $100 million settlement for the lawsuit.
According to previous reports, Paramount aims to settle between $15 million and $25 million, especially after Trump’s recent resolution of lawsuits against Disney’s ABC and Meta earlier this year.
