Overview
- Clooney told Variety that Bari Weiss, appointed in October as editor-in-chief, is dismantling CBS News as she reconfigures coverage.
- He criticized CBS and ABC for settling Trump’s defamation claims, arguing the networks should have fought the cases rather than pay out.
- Paramount’s $16 million settlement tied to a 60 Minutes dispute and Disney/ABC’s $15 million payment over an on-air misstatement were highlighted as damaging precedents.
- He linked Paramount’s settlement to the approval process for the Skydance deal under new Paramount chair David Ellison, saying such concessions weakened the press.
- Weiss has faced scrutiny after reportedly pulling a 60 Minutes piece on deportations to El Salvador’s CECOT prison, which she later said was not ready, fueling concerns about editorial direction.