60 Minutes star Lesley Stahl blasts CBS boss Shari Redstone over Trump lawsuit
Lesley Stahl has broken her silence on the lawsuit against CBS News and CBS Studios’ parent company, Paramount Global, and called out top executive Shari Redstone.
Lesley Stahl didn’t hold back her thoughts while appearing on The New Yorker podcast(Image: CBS News)
Lesley Stahl didn’t mince words about Shari Redstone in a recent bombshell interview, expressing her indignation regarding the turmoil at CBS’s top brass.
In the thick of President Donald Trump’s hefty lawsuit seeking billions from CBS, the esteemed journalist divulged to The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast audience how such strife “affects morale and editorial freedom” at 60 Minutes. She termed the exit of chief producer Bill Owens as “painful,” citing that his editorial choices were being curtailed by the network.
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Stahl also addressed the abrupt resignation of CBS News president Wendy McMahon, describing the current atmosphere at CBS as “hard.” She said, “To have a news organization come under corporate pressure-to have a news organization told by a corporation, ‘do this, do that with your story, change this, change that, don’t run that piece.'”
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“I mean, it steps on the First Amendment, it steps on the freedom of the press,” Stahl vocalized. “It steps on what we stand for. It makes me question whether any corporation should own a news operation. It is very disconcerting.”
US President Donald Trump is suing CBS with a $20 million lawsuit
This shocking interview dropped just before it hit the headlines on Friday that Trump had turned down a $15 million settlement proposal. Sources say his legal eagles are holding out for no less than $25 million and an apology projected to the public.
Trump initially hit CBS and Paramount with a whopping $10 billion lawsuit last October, accusing the network of meddling in the 2020 election. The legal battle has escalated, with Trump now demanding a staggering $20 billion in damages.
She confessed that his “frivolous lawsuit” coupled with the mounting public skepticism towards the media has instilled a sense of “fragility” within the newsroom. “The pain in my heart is that the public does not appreciate the importance of a free and strong and tough press in our democracy,” she lamented.
The network was criticized for an interview with Kamala Harris(Image: Fox News)
“Even the Founding Fathers recognized that we need to have a strong fourth estate to hold our elected officials accountable, and to continue to cleanse the system. The public doesn’t seem to want what we do to be part of our public life.”
Reflecting on Owens’ departure, she expressed, “That was just painful. Painful,” she added. “Everyone at 60 Minutes, I believe most of us, really valued his courage in facing the pressure, and viewed him as somewhat of a hero. So when he revealed his decision to resign, it felt like a gut punch. It was one of those blows where you’re left gasping for air.”
Stahl expressed her aggravation about the likely scenario of Paramount forging a pact with the president. When probed whether she feels “angry” with Shari Redstone, she conceded, “Yes, I think I am. I think I am.”
Delving into the hurdles journalism currently faces, her standpoint was blunt during her conversation with Remnick. “I’m not optimistic. I am not. I’m pessimistic,” she lamented.
“I’m pessimistic about the future for all press today. The public doesn’t trust us. The public has lost faith in us as an institution. So we’re in very dark times.”
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