Will Paramount Skydance turn CNN into a right-leaning FOX News 2.0?
David Ellison’s media company is poised to buy CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, in a deal worth $111 billion, but staffers at the news cable network have expressed concerns that the pro-Trump ownership of Paramount-Skydance will lead CNN’s reporting into a more conservative ideological slant. That came after Mr. Ellison put Free Press founder Bari Weiss in charge of CBS News, causing turmoil within the company. Weiss, who has criticized the “woke” reporting of many mainstream news organizations, is expected to take on the role of overseeing CNN once the Paramount-WBD deal is completed.
In an interview Thursday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Ellison insisted that CNN remains an editorially independent news organization.
“There’s certainly a perception or fear that once they take control of CNN and given the changes they’ve made at CBS (News), they’re probably going to be even more beholden to the Trump administration,” CNBC anchor David Faber said in an interview. He then asked the CEO of Paramount Skydance, “Can you at least address the underlying fear that a lot of people have?”
“So, look, I’ve said this from the beginning: Editorial independence is absolutely upheld when it really comes down to it. It’s upheld at CBS. It’s upheld at CNN. And really, what we want to talk about is 70 percent of Americans who identify as center-left or center-right, and people around the world. And we want to be in the business of truth. We want to be in the trust business. And that’s not it.” It will change. ”
“CNN is a great brand with a great team, and we absolutely believe in the independence that obviously should be maintained for these great journalists, as you know, and we want to continue to support that,” Ellison said.
Paramount Skydance’s focus with CNN will be to invest in expanding streaming viewership, Ellison said.
“CNN and CBS News are two brands that we want to actively participate in moving to streaming to give consumers choice,” he said. “If you want to watch our great news brands on the air, you can do that. If you want to watch them on cable, you can do that. But we also want to create a world where if you want to watch them on streaming, you can, and we truly meet consumers where they are. We’re going to invest in our news business, and we think this is going to be the case. This deal will be positive for both CBS News and CNN.”
CNN already launched All Access, a $6.99-a-month streaming subscription product, last fall. In 2022, the company rolled out CNN+, but that streaming service was scrapped less than a month after its launch as Discovery struck a deal to acquire WarnerMedia from AT&T.
Ellison’s comments may not reassure CNN staffers, who are focused on major editorial changes ahead.
Weiss, a former New York Times opinion journalist who sold the Free Press to Paramount for a reported $150 million, took over the editorial reins at CBS News — and several executive gaffes caused dissonance and dysfunction in the news department, Variety reported.
Some of it was featured on “60 Minutes,” one of the crown jewels of television journalism and one of the most famous media properties in Paramount’s portfolio. Weiss has made clear plans to focus more on digital audiences even as CBS News’ television properties continue to attract more advertising. CBS News staffers have publicly complained about concerns about having to make stories fit their preconceptions.
And in what could be interpreted as a sign of deep dissatisfaction with the current leadership, Anderson Cooper announced last month that he was leaving 60 Minutes after 20 years as the show’s correspondent.
Brian Steinberg contributed to this article.
