Can the press meet the moment?

When news organizations are on defense, who calls the shots?

Today, Tuesday, July 8, at 12:45 p.m. Eastern (a bit later than usual!), we’ll be joined by Wesleyan University president Michael S. Roth. Watch on desktop at The Ink or join us from a phone or tablet with the Substack app.

In today’s letter, we explore two recent controversies involving the mainstream press, both of which raise questions about whether a nominally free press is up to the task of the age.

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Last week, Paramount — CBS News’s parent company — settled with Donald Trump for $16 million, bringing to an end the president’s civil suit over accusations that CBS’s “60 Minutes” had selectively (and deceptively) edited its pre-election interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.

The payment, like the one in ABC News’s settlement in December in Trump’s defamation suit against George Stephanopoulos, will be turned over as a donation to the foundation overseeing Trump’s future presidential library. But the settlement comes as Paramount is in the midst of merger negotiations with another media giant, Skydance Media, in a deal that’s subject to Federal Communications Commission approval.

And that raises some serious questions,