The publisher of The New York Times condemned rival news organizations on Thursday for bending to President Donald Trump and abandoning journalistic norms.
A. G.
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Sulzberger delivered the rebuke before the Floyd Abrams Institute at Yale Law School, focusing heavily on CBS News and its new ownership under Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison.
According to Sulzberger, media leaders are increasingly showing deference to the administration to avoid retaliation or protect business interests.
He specifically targeted recent programming and personnel changes at CBS under Ellison and newly appointed editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, including an intimate dinner Ellison hosted for the White House.
"Under this new ownership, CBS has already altered programming, personnel, and policies in ways that align more closely with the administration’s preferences," Sulzberger said.
The publisher noted that CBS had abandoned its professional standards, "dispensing with even the pretense of journalistic norms."
Sulzberger also criticized peers who refused to support the Times' lawsuit against the Pentagon over restrictive press policies implemented by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
"Many of our peers argued that, given Trump’s frequent attacks on the press, this one was worth letting go.
In fact, several told me directly that they feared sticking their necks out would invite retaliation," he said.
He emphasized that legal protections for free speech require active defense from news organizations.
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"But rights are just ink on paper unless they’re exercised," Sulzberger said.
He argued that challenging government restrictions in court is essential for the health of the press.
"Standing up for press freedom in court and losing is still a much healthier outcome than standing down and letting the administration simply rewrite the rules," he added.
Sulzberger pointed out that several media outlets have chosen financial settlements over legal battles with the administration, which he described as "always litigious."
The speech highlighted instances where networks paid millions to settle lawsuits brought by the president, including a $16 million settlement by CBS and a $15 million settlement by Disney-owned ABC News.
"Then there are the media leaders who have settled winnable cases to appease the administration or advance their business interests," Sulzberger said.
He also criticized those who have transformed editorial pages, let the president rewrite style guides, or written unusually large checks for the president's benefit.
"Such capitulation, even seemingly small instances of it, serves only to embolden the administration to keep attacking the press," he said.
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Trump is currently pursuing a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the Times, alongside legal actions against the BBC and the Des Moines Register.
