Wendy McMahon Shares Her Insights on the Current News Landscape After Leaving CBS Amid the Trump Lawsuit
Wendy McMahon Talks Journalism’s Challenges at NATPE Global
Wendy McMahon, a former senior executive at CBS who led its news division during a contentious legal dispute with Donald Trump, expressed deep concerns for journalism’s future. During a discussion at NATPE Global in Miami, McMahon remarked, "the truth is fighting for its life right now," a statement she prefaced by indicating she did not mean to incite alarm.
McMahon, who has extensive experience in both digital and linear media and currently advises the tech platform Beehiv, was honored with a NATPE Honors award. She participated in a session moderated by David Begnaud, a former CBS News correspondent and the founder of Do Good Media, a new venture backed by McMahon and CBS.
"I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that journalism, which is the essential guardrail of our democracy, is under siege right now,” McMahon stated. “Day after day, we are seeing actions taken, decisions taken, that ultimately are dismantling the purpose of journalism and the protections that sustain it.”
The conversation skimmed over the specifics of Trump’s administration or the recent changes at CBS News, including the hiring of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief. Weiss’s digital outlet, The Free Press, was recently acquired by Paramount following a merger with Skydance.
Last summer, Paramount paid a $16 million settlement to Trump, resulting from disputes over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. CBS did not admit any fault as part of this resolution.
In May, McMahon departed from CBS, shortly before the settlement was reached. In her farewell memo, she revealed a fundamental disagreement with management regarding the path forward, particularly concerning the settlement, which was widely perceived as lacking legal merit.
When asked about dissent among 60 Minutes correspondents regarding editorial decisions under Weiss, McMahon acknowledged the emotional investment journalists have in their work. “I’ve never met a journalist who’s not gonna fight for their story,” she remarked, adding that disagreements between journalists and editors are commonplace.
Addressing broader industry issues, McMahon criticized recent layoffs at the Washington Post and expressed concern over the shortcomings of news organizations in adapting to societal changes over the past decade, particularly during the rise of Trump and the MAGA movement.
Reflecting on her tenure at CBS, where she oversaw both local and national news as well as CBS Ventures, McMahon stated her objective was to ensure that the network reflected the society in which it operates. “I think we missed things, right? We missed the 2016 election. We didn’t understand where the country was,” she admitted.
She noted that legacy news organizations often struggle with acceptance of new ideas, which she described as an obstacle to experimentation.
On the topic of artificial intelligence, McMahon expressed caution. When asked whether AI should be used to write scripts or anchor the news, she was clear: “No. I’m not there.” For now, she considers AI an effective research tool but stops short of endorsing its use in news presentation.
