CBS in turmoil as US media feels pressure under Trump - sh.itjust.works

> Washington (United States) (AFP) – CBS, a mainstay of the broadcast television landscape, has been rattled by editorial changes that insiders fear are tied to President Donald Trump’s influence, as concerns grow about a broader erosion of media independence in the United States. > Since CBS in mid-2025 became a part of Paramount Skydance, which is headed by Trump ally David Ellison, the network has clashed with its star latenight host Stephen Colbert, and seen a raft of journalists resign. > >Colbert recently said the network blocked the broadcast of his interview with Texas Democrat James Talarico, who is running to unseat incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn. > >Many CBS News journalists – including top producers of the flagship newsmagazine “60 Minutes” – have quit while airing complaints of interference in their editorial independence at the company. > >“This is yet another troubling example of corporate capitulation in the face of this Administration’s broader campaign to censor and control speech,” broadcast regulator Anna M. Gomez said in a statement. > >Of the three current commissioners at the FCC, the government agency that regulates the airwaves, Gomez is the only one not appointed by Trump. > >New CBS leadership was brought in at the end of 2025, with the appointment of Bari Weiss – a longstanding critic of progressive politics – as Editor in Chief. > >Weiss sparked blowback with her first decisions at the helm of the newsroom, which included yanking a report on the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant crackdown hours before it was scheduled to broadcast. It was later aired with a revised introduction. > >During that time, many journalists chose to leave the CBS newsroom – once home to famed US journalists Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow and a long reputation for excellence in American journalism. > >Several current and former CBS journalists declined to comment to AFP, even anonymously, pointing to a climate of fear. …