BREAKING: Catherine Herridge Exposes CBS Over Seized Documents, Reveals Massive Trove of Files
Veteran investigative journalist Catherine Herridge has publicly called out CBS News for confiscating her reporting materials following her sudden termination. For the first time, Herridge has shared images showing the staggering volume of seized records—four large moving boxes weighing over 100 pounds in total.
In a post on Thursday, Herridge disclosed that these files contained crucial investigative reports on politically charged topics, including the origins of COVID-19, the Hunter Biden investigations, and classified documents discovered at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
“Today, I am releasing photos of the records for the first time so you can see the sheer volume involved,” Herridge wrote on X. “Four large moving boxes, weighing over 100 lbs in total.”
After her dismissal from CBS News in February 2024, Herridge accused the network of unlawfully seizing her investigative files, including confidential source information. CBS responded by claiming it was merely “securing and protecting” the materials, with a Paramount lawyer downplaying them as “run-of-the-mill work product.”
Journalist Community Outrage
Herridge’s allegations sparked backlash from the journalism community, with many viewing CBS’s actions as an attack on press freedom. In April 2024, she testified before Congress, denouncing the network’s handling of her materials as a “journalistic rape” and a direct violation of investigative reporting ethics.
Thanks to the intervention of SAG-AFTRA, the union representing broadcast journalists, Herridge was able to recover her files nearly a year later. She credited the union for standing up for press rights, stating that without their efforts, her records may never have been returned.
“Without SAG-AFTRA, my files would never have been returned,” she wrote on X, expressing gratitude to the union for defending journalism and free speech. “I hope no investigative reporter has to suffer a similar injustice in the future.”
Ongoing Legal Challenges
Herridge has faced additional legal hurdles in recent years. In 2023, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper held her in civil contempt for refusing to reveal a confidential source connected to a 2017 report on an FBI investigation into a Chinese American scientist. The court imposed a daily fine of $800 until she complied, underscoring the ongoing legal battles between journalistic integrity and court orders.
Her firing from CBS News in early 2024 was part of a broader company-wide layoff that affected 800 employees at Paramount Global, including 20 CBS News staff members. However, the controversy escalated when CBS took possession of her investigative files, prompting intense scrutiny from lawmakers and press freedom advocates.
In February 2024, the House Judiciary Committee launched an inquiry into CBS’s actions. Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) sent a strongly worded letter to CBS News President Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, demanding to know who at CBS or its parent company, Paramount Global, authorized Herridge’s firing and the seizure of her documents.
“The unprecedented actions of CBS News could deter quality journalism and diminish our country’s dedication to a free press,” the letter stated.
Despite the challenges, Herridge remains committed to investigative journalism, standing firm in her belief that the free press must be protected from corporate and political interference.