Ex-Paramount chief hoped Trump lawsuit would force CBS to be more balanced on Israel
Shari Redstone, who was the controlling shareholder of the media giant before recently selling it to Skydance Media as part of an $8 billion merger, was outspoken about her support for Paramount to settle Trump's lawsuit over allegations of "election interference" in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. Trump and Paramount reached a multimillion-dollar settlement last month.
However, it wasn't CBS' political coverage that irked Redstone. It was the network's coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. According to The New York Times, "Maybe, she thought, Mr. Trump's criticism of the news division, and his lawsuit, could be helpful."
"We needed more balance," Redstone said in an interview with The New York Times Tuesday, referring to CBS' war coverage. "Part of me thought, maybe Trump could accomplish what I never got done."
Redstone, a staunch supporter of Israel, was vocal in her complaints about how slanted she perceived CBS' coverage was against Israel.
The Times reported that a major inflection point came when "60 Minutes" aired a segment featuring former State Department officials who resigned in protest over U.S. support for Israel. The segment was viewed as one-sided with an emphasis on allegations of atrocities committed by Israel, while barely mentioning the barbaric Oct. 7 terrorist attack committed by Hamas.
Internal objections to the episode led to the appointment of CBS veteran Susan Zirinsky as the network's newly created executive editor of standards, which, in turn, The Times reported, led to "60 Minutes" executive producer Bill Owens' abrupt exit in protest over the increased corporate oversight. Owens' resignation caused further consternation with "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley lamenting the drama on-air.
Redstone also spoke up in defense of "CBS Mornings" co-host Tony Dokoupil, who was facing internal backlash for grilling liberal media darling and anti-Israel author Ta-Nehisi Coates in an October 2024 interview. Dokoupil was scolded by his bosses, who told him the interview didn't meet "editorial standards." Dokoupil also apologized to offended staffers.
"I think Tony did a great job with that interview. I think he handled himself and showed the world and modeled what civil discourse is. He showed that there was accountability, that there is a system of checks and balances, and frankly, I was very proud of the work that he did," Redstone said at the time. "As hard as it was, frankly, for me to go against the company, because I love this company, and I believe in it, and I think we have a great, great executive team, I think they made a mistake here."
CBS staffers last year were also reportedly instructed not to refer to Jerusalem, Israel's capital, as being in Israel, saying in a memo its status is "disputed" and that it "goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
Redstone, the daughter of the late billionaire mogul Sumner Redstone, was widely expected to receive a $2.4 billion buyout as a result of the Skydance merger. Paramount is now being run by David Ellison, son of billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
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