Mainstream Media Sells Out the Truth

Trump didn’t win the lawsuit; he won the leverage. Democrats flounder, media giants fold, and democracy becomes negotiable in the fine print of corporate deals.

Guest article by Michael Cohen

Let’s be honest: if American democracy were a deer, it would be standing in the middle of the highway trying to reason with an oncoming semi. That semi, of course, is President Trump. And the Democrats? They’re standing on the shoulder with a clipboard, giving speeches about traffic safety.

It’s been nearly a decade since Trump first took a wrecking ball to our political institutions, and still—still—Democrats haven’t figured out how to contend with a president who doesn’t break the rules so much as bend them until they no longer resemble anything that could be called law. The most recent case in point: the $16 million settlement between Paramount Global and Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview that was edited—yes, edited!—like every other interview in the history of television.

This wasn’t a fight over facts. It was a performance. Trump sued CBS, claiming a Kamala Harris interview had been “deliberately manipulated” to damage him politically. He called it “election interference” and “the biggest scandal in broadcast history.” He demanded $10 billion, then bumped it to $20 billion—because why not? The man never lets reality get in the way of leverage.

And here’s the part that should make your skin crawl: Paramount paid up. Not because they were wrong. Not because they were guilty. But because they were vulnerable. The company is in the middle of a merger with Skydance Media—a deal that requires regulatory approval from the Trump administration. Specifically, from the FCC, now chaired by a Trump loyalist. That connection, whether stated outright or merely implied, created just enough pressure to turn a baseless lawsuit into a $16 million settlement.

That money won’t even go to Trump personally; it’s being directed to his future presidential library. Think about that. The President of the United States is using litigation not to defend his reputation, but to raise money for a political monument bearing his name. That’s not a lawsuit; it’s a shakedown dressed in legalese.

Legal scholars called the suit “frivolous and dangerous.” Press freedom groups said it was “beyond frivolous,” even by Trump’s standards. CBS released the raw footage and transcript of the Harris interview, which showed standard time edits—nothing nefarious. Yet the lawsuit achieved exactly what it was meant to: intimidation. Silence. Compliance.

And Paramount isn’t alone. Just months earlier, Disney’s ABC reached a similar settlement with Trump after he sued George Stephanopoulos for defamation. No apology. No admission of guilt. Just another corporate payout to avoid political and regulatory headaches.

This is the new model of media control. It’s not about censorship; it’s about consequence. Trump doesn’t need to muzzle the press. He just makes it expensive, risky, and exhausting to tell the truth. And if that truth interferes with a merger or a licensing deal? Suddenly, journalism becomes a liability on the balance sheet.

Meanwhile, the Democrats—those noble defenders of democratic norms—have once again proven themselves tragically ill-equipped. Despite Trump’s return to power, they have yet to develop a strategy to counter a president who doesn’t see the law as a boundary, but as a tool. A man who uses litigation not as a means to justice, but as a lever to extract political and financial advantage.

So, where’s the accountability? Where’s the oversight? Where’s the robust investigation into whether these settlements are being used to curry favor with a sitting president? Are we really supposed to believe that the FCC has zero awareness of the pressure these companies are under? That a president’s legal threats and a regulatory body’s approval process are just coincidentally crossing paths?

Even within CBS, the fallout has been profound. “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens resigned, citing a loss of editorial independence. Correspondent Scott Pelley went public, revealing that network executives had begun supervising content in new ways. Days later, CBS News President Wendy McMahon also stepped down, noting the company and she “do not agree on the path forward.”

And let’s be honest: the “path forward” is clear. It’s compliance. It’s timidity. It’s self-censorship in the face of legal intimidation and regulatory blackmail. That’s what happens when corporations prioritize mergers over journalism and access over accountability.

What we’re watching isn’t just the erosion of the First Amendment; it’s the monetization of fear. Trump isn’t just exploiting weak institutions; he’s proving that our guardrails are only as strong as the will to defend them. And right now, there is no such will—by these media companies, law firms, or by the Democratic Party.

This isn’t about these lawsuits. It’s about the precedent being set: that a president can and will sue the media into silence, funnel the settlement into a personal monument, and skate away without scrutiny because the opposition can’t decide whether to fight or to fold.

Trump doesn’t need to suppress dissent. He just makes dissent inconvenient. Unprofitable. Dangerous. And the Democrats? They’re still out here writing strongly worded letters, making speeches, asking America to believe that norms and decency are enough.

Well, they’re not. Not anymore. And maybe not ever again.

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