Executives at major media outlets are reportedly instructing their newsrooms to temper their coverage of President Trump and his administration amid growing fears of political retribution.
President Trump may not have the political power to pass laws that hurt the press, but his threats of regulatory scrutiny and private lawsuits have come just as damaging in silencing his critics.
The abrupt resignations of CBS News chief Wendy McMahon and longtime “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens underscore how fraught the relationship has become between CBS’ news division and corporate parent Paramount, which is fighting for regulatory approval of a critical merger with Skydance Media.
In her resignation note, McMahon said, “It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward.” Owens told staff in his departure note, “Over the past months, it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it.”
Tension between management and CBS News’ leadership has been boiling for months as CBS considers whether to settle a $20 billion lawsuit with President Trump. A settlement, onlookers believe, could clear the path for regulatory approval of Paramount’s Skydance deal, but critics argue it risks the journalistic reputation of “60 Minutes.”
Trump in April lashed out at CBS following a “60 Minutes” episode, calling on FCC chair Brendan Carr to impose “maximum fines and punishment” on the network.
PBS member WNET cut 90 seconds from a documentary last month, in which the film’s subject, author and cartoonist Art Spiegelman criticized Trump, per The Atlantic.
WNET vice president of programming Stephen Segaller told the New York Times the station did tell the filmmakers to make the change, saying some of the imagery was a “breach of taste.”
The move came shortly after PBS CEO Paula Kerger and NPR CEO Katherine Maher were called to testify in a congressional hearing to defend their congressional budgets. After the episode aired in April, President Trump signed an executive order on May 1 to cut federal funding for NPR and PBS.
Disney CEO Bob Iger and ABC News president Almin Karamehmedovic reportedly suggested to the hosts of “The View” that they broaden the scope of their coverage to focus less on politics, per The Daily Beast.
ABC paid $16 million in December to settle a case over comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos.
Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Gannett and a slew of major media companies have all announced rollbacks of their diversity, equity and inclusion policies to mirror the administration’s new mandate on DEI.
