From Colbert to Trump’s WSJ lawsuit, Axios’ Sara Fischer on media turmoil

In a Rapid Response episode, Bob Safian interviews Axios reporter Sara Fischer about major media news, including Trump's lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over an article about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, and CBS's cancellation of Stephen Colbert's show. Fischer suggests Trump's lawsuit may be riskier for him due to potential discoveries and explains CBS might be framing Colbert's cancellation as a public service to appease the Trump administration and gain FCC approval for a deal, despite financial reasons being the primary driver. They also discuss the impact of defunding PBS and NPR, the rise of Substack, and the Emmy nominations, touching on the shift in trust towards individuals over institutions and the varying strategies of streaming services regarding awards versus subscriber retention.