Overview
- In a Variety interview, George Clooney accused CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of dismantling the network and said CBS and ABC should have told President Trump to “go f*** yourself” instead of settling his lawsuits.
- Paramount/CBS paid $16 million to resolve Trump’s complaint over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, and ABC paid about $15 million after George Stephanopoulos inaccurately said Trump was found “liable for rape.”
- Weiss recently delayed a 60 Minutes piece on Venezuelan deportees sent to El Salvador’s CECOT prison; correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi told colleagues Weiss “spiked” the story, while Weiss said it was not ready and lacked needed context.
- After Clooney’s remarks, Weiss issued an invitation for him to visit the CBS Broadcast Center and noted she is working to relaunch the Evening News, with a debut slated for January 5.
- Clooney tied his critique to CBS’s new ownership under David Ellison’s Skydance and Weiss’s October appointment, reflecting wider concerns that corporate deals and legal pressure are shaping newsroom independence.