Leading up to the 2024 election, President Donald Trump filed a $20 billion lawsuit against CBS and its parent company, Paramount.
As Townhall reported, Trump claimed that CBS edited its “60 Minutes” program featuring then-Vice President Kamala Harris to make her look more favorable and competent to viewers.
Of course, CBS has denied these allegations, especially after Trump prevailed in the presidential election.
Since then, reports have surfaced that Paramount is considering a settlement. Some reports claimed that Trump turned down a $15 million settlement.
One veteran reporter at CBS spoke out against this.
This week, CBS’ Scott Pelley spoke out against Paramount settling the lawsuit with President Trump.
“The most important thing is to have the courage to speak, to not let fear permeate the country so that everyone suddenly becomes silent,” Pelley said of the role that journalism plays in democracy.
“If you have the courage to speak, we are saved. If you fall silent, the country is doomed,” he added. “It is the only thing that’s gonna save the country. You cannot have democracy without journalism. It can’t be done.”
Pelley asserted that a financial settlement, an apology from Paramount, or anything of that sort to President Trump would be “very damaging to CBS, to Paramount, to the reputation of those companies.”
In the interview, Pelley defended his recent commencement speech at Wake Forest University that was blatantly anti-Trump.
“I didn’t think that I could stand up in front of a major university and give a speech that said, ‘You go get ‘em, kids! You’re the best!’...I wanted those graduates at Wake Forest to know that history was calling them, that now is their moment…the times chose them…stand up for the right to speak,” he said.