Trump and CBS set for mediation in $20 billion lawsuit over Kamala Harris interview

US president Donald Trump and Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, will soon begin mediation in a $20 billion lawsuit Trump has filed over what he calls “news distortion,” reported New York Times.

The case focuses on CBS’s editing of an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris that aired on its flagship programme 60 Minutes.

Trump claims the network altered Harris’s comments about Israel to make her look more coherent and polished than she actually was during the interview. He alleges that the edits misled the public and gave Harris an unfair advantage in how she was portrayed.

CBS denied the accusations saying the interview was edited to fit broadcast time limits and that it had no intent to deceive viewers. In its defence, CBS pointed to its sister programme, Face the Nation, which had aired a longer version of Harris’s comments. This, the network argues, proves there was no effort to hide or distort her words.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) initially dismissed the complaint due to lack of evidence. But after Trump appointed Brendan Carr as the new FCC Chairman, the commission reopened the case and ordered CBS to submit the full, unedited footage.

CBS’s parent company Paramount is currently in talks to merge with Skydance, a Hollywood studio backed by billionaire Larry Ellison. Some believe resolving the lawsuit could help clear regulatory hurdles for the merger.

This isn’t the first time Trump has taken legal action against media outlets. In recent months, ABC News reportedly paid $15 million to settle a defamation claim, and Meta paid $25 million over issues related to Trump’s social media bans.