Overview

• At Syracuse University’s Mirror Awards on June 9, Costas accepted the Fred Dressler Leadership Award and used the platform to denounce the media’s approach to covering President Trump.
• Costas argued that responsible journalism does not require treating unsubstantiated claims as equally valid viewpoints, comparing such false balance to legitimizing flat Earth theories.
• He singled out ABC News, CBS News and CNN for agreeing to multimillion-dollar settlements in lawsuits brought by Trump, labeling the decisions as corporate capitulation.
• He highlighted Paramount’s attempted $20 million settlement as a paid “ransom” that threatens editorial independence when business interests override news judgment.
• Reactions to his remarks split along partisan lines, with Mediaite adopting a neutral tone and OutKick accusing him of liberal bias, underscoring the polarized media landscape.