Is the American Media Caving to Trump?

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 6 August 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is legacy media self-censoring under the Trump Administration? The canceling of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and the multi-million dollar payouts from the parent companies of CBS and ABC to settle defamation lawsuits are all causes for concern, according to media analyst and Guardian US columnist Margaret Sullivan, who worries hard news reporting could become a thing of the past. We talk with Sullivan about how major media outlets are responding to Trump’s intensifying attacks and how it could hasten a march to autocracy. Guests: Margaret Sullivan, columnist writing about media, politics and culture, Guardian US Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:42.3	From KQBD in San Francisco, I'm Mina Kim. Coming up on forum, we take a closer look at legacy media's
1:07.0	latest capitulation to President Trump and what it means for his effort to silence coverage he doesn't like.
1:13.4	The multi-million dollar payouts from the parent companies of CBS and ABC to settle defamation lawsuits,
1:19.4	the canceling of the late show with Stephen Colbert.
1:22.0	There are just a few examples of the events that have media analyst and Guardian columnist Margaret Sullivan
1:27.0	worried that major media
1:28.7	companies are abdicating their responsibility to hold the powerful accountable. We talk with
1:34.7	Sullivan about why they're doing this and what it means for the future of a free press. Join
1:40.5	us.
1:52.0	Welcome to Forum. I'm Mina Kim. President Trump appears so far to be winning his war against the media,
1:58.6	Paramount the parent company of CBS, agreed last month to pay $16 million to settle Trump's lawsuit over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview, then days
2:02.0	later canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, known for its comedy critical of the president.
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