Washington: In a case that stirred debate over media ethics and free speech, Paramount has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump concerning the editing of a 2020 “60 Minutes” interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris. The lawsuit alleged that selective editing misrepresented Harris's responses and misled the public.
Paramount confirmed the settlement on Tuesday, noting that the payment would be directed to Trump’s future presidential library, not to the president personally. The company stated that no apology was included as part of the agreement.
President Trump’s lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, argued that the editing caused Trump “mental anguish,” claiming the CBS News program altered Harris’ answers to favour her and mislead viewers. According to the complaint, the interview editing caused confusion among voters and diminished attention to Trump and his social media platform, Truth Social.
CBS and Paramount had previously denied the allegations and attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed. They maintained that the segments aired—one on “60 Minutes” and another on “Face the Nation”—both featured excerpts from Harris' lengthy response, edited for brevity but not misrepresentation.
Trump objected specifically to the portrayal of Harris’ answers to a question posed by journalist Bill Whitaker. The two answers were aired in different clips, which Trump said created the false impression that Harris was more coherent and consistent than she actually was.
As part of the mediated settlement, Paramount also agreed that “60 Minutes” will release transcripts of future interviews with presidential candidates, subject to redactions required for legal or national security reasons, according to a CBS News statement.
The case has drawn criticism from press freedom advocates. The Freedom of the Press Foundation, a media advocacy group that claims to be a Paramount shareholder, threatened legal action if the settlement was finalised.
The settlement comes at a time when Paramount is seeking approval from the Trump administration for its proposed merger with Skydance Media. Reports indicate that controlling shareholder Shari Redstone had pushed for the agreement. CBS News President and CEO Wendy McMahon and “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens—both of whom reportedly opposed settling—have resigned in recent weeks.
There has been no immediate response from the White House regarding the settlement.
With PTI inputs