Stephen A. Smith

Sorry, rapist. Calling him a rapist, yes. You probably could have gotten sued for the racist one. And then you have reports that Paramount, which has a merger, a very large merger before the Trump administration, considering settling what is an even more reportedly absurd lawsuit about the editing of the Kamala Harris interview.

Sorry, rapist. Calling him a rapist, yes. You probably could have gotten sued for the racist one. And then you have reports that Paramount, which has a merger, a very large merger before the Trump administration, considering settling what is an even more reportedly absurd lawsuit about the editing of the Kamala Harris interview.

Just sort of as a publisher, a person, a long-time media critic, what's your response to how some of these entities are doing this?

Just sort of as a publisher, a person, a long-time media critic, what's your response to how some of these entities are doing this?

You know, it's funny that for years, for our whole careers, there's been a set of advocates who yelled about the corporate consolidation of media. They're kind of like Ralph Nader people. There's a group called Free Press. They were totally irrelevant to the political conversation, like nice people. And you'd be like, yeah, I don't know.

You know, it's funny that for years, for our whole careers, there's been a set of advocates who yelled about the corporate consolidation of media. They're kind of like Ralph Nader people. There's a group called Free Press. They were totally irrelevant to the political conversation, like nice people. And you'd be like, yeah, I don't know.

Like I work in corporate media and I've never had my corporate overlords cutting secret deals with the government. That doesn't, that's not a thing that happens in America. And they were totally right. What you see now is that this very, very consolidated media is largely owned by, on one hand, public companies that have fiduciary responsibilities to their shareholders.

Like I work in corporate media and I've never had my corporate overlords cutting secret deals with the government. That doesn't, that's not a thing that happens in America. And they were totally right. What you see now is that this very, very consolidated media is largely owned by, on one hand, public companies that have fiduciary responsibilities to their shareholders.

And when we say media, we really mean news media, because they have lots of exposure beyond news. The Ellison family isn't buying Paramount because they want CBS News. CBS News comes along with the bargain in this kind of a headache. but they want, you know, they're looking for a content library and, you know, getting into the movie business. And so this, like, CBS News is this liability.

And when we say media, we really mean news media, because they have lots of exposure beyond news. The Ellison family isn't buying Paramount because they want CBS News. CBS News comes along with the bargain in this kind of a headache. but they want, you know, they're looking for a content library and, you know, getting into the movie business. And so this, like, CBS News is this liability.

And actually, the Disney suit is, you know, sort of specious, but it's the kind of suit sometimes you settle because I think they were worried about, what was it, you know, disclosing George Stephanopoulos' text messages, whatever. There's some argument for settling that one. Not a great one, but the CBS one is ludicrous. It's about editing a, It's a very normal journalistic thing.

And actually, the Disney suit is, you know, sort of specious, but it's the kind of suit sometimes you settle because I think they were worried about, what was it, you know, disclosing George Stephanopoulos' text messages, whatever. There's some argument for settling that one. Not a great one, but the CBS one is ludicrous. It's about editing a, It's a very normal journalistic thing.

If you edit an interview the way you want to edit it, maybe you screw it up, maybe, whatever. But it's something that is widely viewed as protected and as a specious lawsuit, even if they've found a friendly judge in Texas. But Sherry Redstone, who's selling CBS, would like to get paid. And the quickest way to getting paid is caving to Trump.

If you edit an interview the way you want to edit it, maybe you screw it up, maybe, whatever. But it's something that is widely viewed as protected and as a specious lawsuit, even if they've found a friendly judge in Texas. But Sherry Redstone, who's selling CBS, would like to get paid. And the quickest way to getting paid is caving to Trump.

And if that damages the brand, if that blows up the newsroom, it's not a big deal for her. I think Similarly, you know, Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shang are billionaires. And the issue isn't that they're billionaires, it's that they have lots of exposure in other businesses that the government has a lot of power over.

And if that damages the brand, if that blows up the newsroom, it's not a big deal for her. I think Similarly, you know, Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shang are billionaires. And the issue isn't that they're billionaires, it's that they have lots of exposure in other businesses that the government has a lot of power over.

Soon-Shang is in the healthcare business, you know, FDA, incredibly important to him. Bezos is very interested in his space projects. And Trump will obviously punish them. I mean, he's done it in the past. He'll threaten, he'll kill those, he'll kill contracts if your publication fails. It angers him. And Bezos wrote this in his letter about canceling the endorsement.

Soon-Shang is in the healthcare business, you know, FDA, incredibly important to him. Bezos is very interested in his space projects. And Trump will obviously punish them. I mean, he's done it in the past. He'll threaten, he'll kill those, he'll kill contracts if your publication fails. It angers him. And Bezos wrote this in his letter about canceling the endorsement.

And he said, well, I'm not doing this because I'm caving to Trump, but I can't blame you for seeing it that way because I recognize that it looks that way. And I just think that what you see is that it makes you realize the importance of independent media and independent in sort of the old Naderite sense that they are independent of consolidated ownership.

And he said, well, I'm not doing this because I'm caving to Trump, but I can't blame you for seeing it that way because I recognize that it looks that way. And I just think that what you see is that it makes you realize the importance of independent media and independent in sort of the old Naderite sense that they are independent of consolidated ownership.