Lesley Stahl Blasts CBS Leadership, Warns of Press Freedom Crisis Amid Trump Lawsuit

In a blistering interview that’s rattling the foundation of network television, legendary 60 Minutes journalist Lesley Stahl has spoken out forcefully against CBS leadership, particularly targeting Shari Redstone, chair of Paramount Global. Stahl’s rare public comments come in the wake of mounting turmoil inside the network, including high-level resignations, editorial interference, and the looming threat of a $20 billion lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump.

Appearing on The New Yorker Radio Hour, Stahl delivered an emotional and deeply critical assessment of the internal chaos roiling CBS News. “It steps on the First Amendment, it steps on the freedom of the press,” she said, referencing what she sees as troubling corporate pressure on editorial decisions at the network. “It steps on what we stand for. It makes me question whether any corporation should own a news operation.”

This marks a stunning departure for Stahl, one of CBS’s most respected and enduring figures. With more than five decades of journalism under her belt, her credibility carries significant weight—and her frustration appears to reflect growing anxiety among journalists over the direction of the network under Redstone’s stewardship.

At the heart of Stahl’s criticism is the departure of 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens, whose resignation she described as “painful” and “a gut punch.” According to Stahl, Owens’ editorial freedom was increasingly undermined by corporate mandates, and his exit signaled a worrying shift in CBS’s commitment to independent journalism.

“Everyone at 60 Minutes, I believe most of us, really valued his courage in facing the pressure,” Stahl said. “So when he revealed his decision to resign, it felt like a gut punch.”

Her comments also come amid an escalating legal battle with former President Trump, who initially filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS and Paramount last October, accusing the network of influencing the 2020 election. The lawsuit has since ballooned to a $20 billion claim after Trump rejected a $15 million settlement offer. His legal team is reportedly holding out for at least $25 million and a public apology.

Stahl acknowledged the toll that the lawsuit—and broader public skepticism toward the media—is taking on the newsroom. “It affects morale and editorial freedom,” she said. “The pain in my heart is that the public does not appreciate the importance of a free and strong and tough press in our democracy.”

Her remarks underscore a broader crisis facing American journalism: dwindling public trust. “I’m not optimistic,” she admitted. “I’m pessimistic about the future for all press today. The public doesn’t trust us. The public has lost faith in us as an institution. So we’re in very dark times.”

The timing of Stahl’s critique could not be more significant. Just days earlier, CBS News President Wendy McMahon resigned, the latest in a string of high-level departures that many see as indicative of deeper instability within the organization. According to Stahl, McMahon’s resignation is symptomatic of a corporate culture that increasingly prioritizes business interests over journalistic integrity.

“To have a news organization come under corporate pressure—to be told by a corporation, ‘do this, do that with your story, change this, change that, don’t run that piece’—it’s very disconcerting,” she said.

Asked directly if she is angry with Redstone, Stahl responded without hesitation: “Yes, I think I am. I think I am.”

For many observers, Stahl’s comments are a wake-up call about the precarious state of legacy media in the face of political pressure, legal warfare, and corporate consolidation. Her statement that “it makes me question whether any corporation should own a news operation” hits at the core of the debate around media independence in the age of mega-mergers and shareholder demands.

CBS has not publicly responded to Stahl’s remarks as of this writing, and neither has Redstone. But insiders say her comments have sent shockwaves through the network’s New York and Los Angeles offices, where staff are grappling with uncertainty over the network’s editorial future.

As CBS continues to navigate the fallout from Trump’s legal attacks and internal leadership turnover, Stahl’s powerful rebuke serves as both a warning and a rallying cry. For many in the journalism world, her message is clear: when corporate interests dictate editorial choices, democracy itself is at risk.

“The Founding Fathers recognized that we need a strong Fourth Estate to hold our elected officials accountable,” Stahl said. “The public doesn’t seem to want what we do to be part of our public life anymore. That’s heartbreaking.”

With a bruising legal battle ahead, executive instability behind the scenes, and one of its most iconic voices raising the alarm, CBS now faces a reckoning not just with its viewers—but with its own identity.