Overview

• More than 2,300 Writers Guild members signed the open letter on August 5, including Spike Lee, Adam McKay and Tony Gilroy.
• The letter accuses President Trump of filing baseless lawsuits to extract payoffs, most notably a $16 million settlement by Paramount over 60 Minutes.
• It condemns retaliation against factual reporting and threats to revoke broadcasters’ licenses alongside calls to cancel late-night shows and The View.
• It highlights congressional Republicans’ defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and FCC conditions requiring CBS to shift its ideological stance for merger approval.
• The letter urges elected officials, industry leaders and public audiences to resist these measures and uphold First Amendment protections.