Legendary CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow lambasted his own industry in a 1958 presentation that has famously been labeled the “Wires and Lights in a Box” speech. Presciently, he warned the broadcast journalists of the Radio Television News Directors Association about the dangers of letting corporate and special interests get in the way of solid reporting.
Murrow exhorted his colleagues to present the news “fairly and calmly,” even on controversial topics, saying the public appreciates such efforts to “illuminate rather than agitate.” Failure to execute this important responsibility of journalism, Murrow warned, relegates broadcasting to “wires and lights in a box.”
How sad it is today to see CBS, the news organization Murrow helped mold, so diminished that it would cave to political pressure and pay $16 million to settle a nuisance lawsuit.
CBS’s once-proud “60 Minutes” bungled its interview last fall with presidential candidate Kamala Harris, engaging in questionable editing practices and then sandbagging when asked to explain what happened. As could be expected, Donald Trump filed a $20 billion lawsuit claiming election interference in favor of his political opponent. The money will be paid by Paramount, the parent company of CBS.
The settlement was cleverly announced by CBS News just before the Fourth of July holiday, a move clearly designed to hide the surrender from Americans who were traveling, cooking hotdogs and watching fireworks. The announcement made a point to indicate that CBS made no apology as part of the settlement. So, apparently, CBS just randomly hands over millions of dollars when it has done nothing wrong.
CBS also claimed in the announcement that “the lawsuit was completely without merit.” CBS is quite right in that contention; journalists have broad First Amendment protections when it comes to broadcasting and editing interviews. There is virtually no chance Trump could have won this case in court.
But CBS caved anyway.
One reason for the surrender might be that Paramount wants to clear the decks and calm things down with the Trump administration before the Federal Communications Commission rules on a proposed $8.4 billion media merger between Paramount and Skydance Media. Another reason could be that CBS just didn’t want to risk whatever skeletons might fall out of the closet should the lawsuit get to more formal proceedings.
Neither of these explanations excuse a major news organization from standing up for its free press rights.
Even though CBS has settled this legal hassle with Trump, the network still faces an FCC inquiry about its management, or lack thereof, of the Harris “60 Minutes” segment. It will look awkward for CBS now to go in front of the FCC acting righteous after wiping the egg off its face from the $16 million settlement.
The CBS-Paramount payout to Trump is chump change by the standards of big media corporations. But the size of the payout is irrelevant. That CBS would sell its First Amendment rights for any amount of money is humiliating.
Employees of CBS News are understandably outraged by the corporation’s legal surrender. But these reporters and editors should also be concerned about the activist journalism culture they themselves have helped create. The AllSides Media Bias Chart lists CBS News as left of center. The First Amendment allows for biased and even unprofessional journalism, but some introspection at CBS might be helpful to see if the network is living up to the standards established years ago by Murrow.
There was a time when CBS would fight the establishment over its journalistic rights. In 1972, CBS President Frank Stanton stared down a congressional committee, refusing to discuss or provide materials about the CBS telecast “Selling of the Pentagon,” other than what was actually aired. He stood on First Amendment grounds, saying any government intervention would ruin investigative journalism.
There was also a time when CBS produced news to support an informed citizenry, not just to cash checks. Long-time CBS Chairman William Paley met with news personnel in the early 1960s, exhorting them with his ambitious news coverage plans. When Paley was asked by veteran correspondent Charles Collingwood how the network would pay for such news operations, he replied, “You guys cover the news: I’ve got Jack Benny to make money for me.”
There’s a reason why the network of Murrow, Walter Cronkite and Eric Sevareid was for years known as one of the media’s most enduring brands, often referred to as the Tiffany Network. CBS is crumbling before the nation’s eyes. A media brand that won’t stand on principle will always be suspect, even if big mergers eventually get approved.
Jeffrey McCall is a professor of communication at DePauw University.
