“The only reason it hasn’t run is that there is still a lot of journalism left to do,” says CBS News boss David Rhodes of the porn star’s interview with 60 Minutes
Tick…tock…
CBS News chief David Rhodes said his network remained committed to airing Anderson Cooper’s sit-down interview with porn star Stormy Daniels on its 60 Minutes news program — though the timing still remains unclear.
“[It will air on] a coming Sunday, you’ll have to watch them all,” he told an audience at the INTV Conference in Jerusalem Monday, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “The only reason it hasn’t run is that there is still a lot of journalism left to do.”
Rhodes made the remarks to Israeli TV anchor Yonit Levi and added that he personally hadn’t seen the footage, which many believe could be explosive since the rectangular adult performer received a $130,000 payout in 2016 to remain silent about an affair she says she had with Trump while he was married to Melania Trump.
It has been more than twenty years since CBS found itself in the center of a scandal after pulling a controversial and newsworthy interview from 60 Minutes in the face of pressure and fear of lawsuits, only to relent a year later. The infamous incident, involving Big Tobacco executive Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, now one of the most famous whistleblowers in U.S. history, was the subject of the 1999 hit Michael Mann film ‘The Insider“, starring Russell Crowe, Al Pacino and Christopher Pummer.
Prior restraint
CBS’ Rhodes also smacked down rumors and speculation that President Donald Trump or anyone might try and take legal action to prevent the interview from being broadcast. Many (including myself) have suspected that these leaked or planted rumors are but a ploy by the Daniels camp to 1) keep the porn star in the headlines; 2) portray her as a victim under threat by powerful forces; and 3) repress what has become obvious to watchers of the scandal: that it has noting to do with sex and everything to do with money.
In the United States, courts rarely permit a “prior restraint” of speech because of the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. No one is qualified to determine in advance what speech is or is not appropriate, and furthermore one must suspect the motives of those want to do so.
Plus, as BuzzFeed noted, in the past “Trump and his legal team often have threatened litigation without following through on those threats”.
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