Oct 7th and CBS’ anti-Israel bias prompted owner to sell media empire

Shari Redstone: “I wanted to support Israel, and address issues around antisemitism and racism.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Shari Redstone, the longtime steward of Paramount, said the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel was the decisive factor that led her to sell the family’s media empire after years of resisting offers.

She also said she was hoping the longstanding investigative reporting show “60 Minutes” would expose CBS’ anti-Israel bias, but instead, it did the opposite with its feature on Gaza.

The massacre, in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed, convinced her it was time to let go of the company her father built.

After CBS’ negative Israel coverage continued, Redstone said she had hoped the network would be reformed through Donald Trump’s lawsuit against it.

Redstone, 71, who closed a sale of Paramount for $8 billion to Skydance Media earlier this month, said Oct. 7 was the tipping point.

“Once that happened, I wanted out,” she told the Times.

“I wanted to support Israel, and address issues around antisemitism and racism.”

However, Redstone would face difficulties including CBS’ news coverage, which became increasingly tilted against Israel, the controversial decision to settle with Donald Trump and her personal battle with thyroid cancer.

During the 2024 election, Trump sued CBS for $20 million for allegedly editing an interview with his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, in a way that showed bias in her favor, according to Trump.

Although Redstone thought Trump’s claims were “hyperbolic,” she settled for $60 million, a move that earned her criticism from colleagues, including Lesley Stahl.

Redstone, whose ex-husband and son are rabbis, also had to contend with anti-Israel bias on CBS.

She viewed the network’s coverage of Israel as increasingly hostile, pointing to an August 2024 directive that barred staff from identifying Jerusalem as part of Israel and a “60 Minutes” segment that aired State Department resignations over U.S. support for Israel while barely mentioning Hamas’ attack.

The American Jewish Committee called that broadcast “shockingly one-sided, lacked factual accuracy, and relied heavily on misguided information.”

After the sale, Redstone said, “I just want to be free.”