Overview

• At Wake Forest on May 19, Scott Pelley warned that journalism, universities and freedom of speech face an “insidious fear” under the Trump administration
• A clip of the speech went viral over Memorial Day weekend, prompting support from press‐freedom advocates and harsh criticism from conservative commentators calling it “unhinged”
• Pelley’s remarks intersect with President Trump’s ongoing $20 billion defamation lawsuit accusing CBS of deceptively editing a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris
• The legal battle has already led to the April resignation of 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens and May departure of CBS News president Wendy McMahon over editorial oversight concerns
• Paramount Global is reportedly weighing a deal—potentially involving a sale to Skydance Media—to resolve the lawsuit and stabilize its news operations