Margaret Sullivan talks about the sad demise of CBS News today in there newsletter. She recounts the departure of longtime anchor John Dickerson, and the embarrassing 60 Minutes Trump interview last Sunday. He said a lot of stupid things, as usual, but Sullivan homes in on the part where Trump gives away the fact that he has CBS in his pocket. Not that we didn’t know that, but it’s always good to see it right out there:
During his interview with Norah O’Donnell for that show this past Sunday night, Trump decided to play media critic. This part of his interview didn’t make the cut of what was shown on the broadcast, but it certainly is telling about the rightward leanings of new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss — and even more telling about the direction of the corporate ownership.
CBS News published the entire transcript, including Trump’s lies about the 2020 election, which also didn’t make the cut for broadcast. Here are the parts I’m pointing to:
“And actually ‘60 Minutes’ paid me a lot of money. And you don’t have to put this on, because I don’t wanna embarrass you, and I’m sure you’re not — you have a great — I think you have a great, new leader, frankly, who’s the young woman that’s leading your whole enterprise is a great — from what I know.
Also this highly inaccurate depiction of the supposed basis of his lawsuit: “But 60 Minutes was forced to pay me a lot of money because they took (Kamala Harris’s) answer out that was so bad it was election-changing, two nights before the election. And they put a new answer in. And they paid me a lot of money for that. You can’t have fake news. You’ve gotta have legit news.”
And this: “I think one of the best things to happen is this show and new ownership — CBS and new ownership. I think it’s the greatest thing that’s happened in a long time to a free and open and good press.”
Trump is clearly talking about David Ellison, the son of pro-Trump mega-billionaire Larry Ellison, the second-richest person on earth. The younger Ellison is now the chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance, parent company of CBS, after a merger. David Ellison installed Bari Weiss as editor in chief. It’s instructive that as the likes of John Dickerson walk out the door, she is said to be recruiting Scott Jennings (who makes a living defending Trump on CNN), as well as Bret Baier of Fox News.
There just can’t be too many media outfits dedicated to giving Trump big slurpy wet kisses 24/7.
This is the Hungarian model. But again, America is a much different country than Hungary. And the public still has power. Don’t watch CBS News. Don’t pay to stream it.