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The Intentional Destruction of 60 Minutes - To Please Donald Trump
Description
Hawk walks through Jonathan V. Last's Bulwark newsletter "The Murder of 60 Minutes," a deep look at how Barry Weiss and the Ellisons are systematically dismantling CBS News and 60 Minutes to appease Donald Trump and clear the path for billion-dollar media mergers.
60 Minutes generated $206 million in advertising revenue in 2024, yet CBS's corporate parent Paramount SkyDance is willing to destroy a profitable and iconic institution. David Ellison paid $150 million for Barry Weiss's Free Press website and installed her at CBS News, where the ratings have cratered across the board. Correspondents Sharon Alphonse and Cecilia Vega were pushed out. Producers Tanya Simon and Drag Mihalovich were fired. Leslie Stahl was bypassed for a Netanyahu interview she had worked on for months.
Hawk connects this to the broader pattern of corporate surrender: law firms, universities, media companies, and figures like Jeff Bezos publicly capitulating to Trump in exchange for favorable regulatory treatment. Larry Ellison has reportedly already discussed what he plans to do to CNN anchors Trump dislikes, with Warner Brothers Discovery in Ellison's sights next.
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