Paramount Skydance has dismissed reports linking its merger plans to promises cnn. The company says it did not give any assurance to the President donald trump Or any government agency. The denial comes after claims that changes in CNN’s editorial direction were discussed as part of efforts to broker a proposed Warner Bros. Discovery deal.
Paramount responds to claims it promised Donald Trump changes at CNN
Paramount Skydance has strongly denied a report that it promised to redesign CNN in exchange for government approval of a potential merger involving Warner Bros. Discovery. In a statement shared with Entertainment WeeklyThe company said that neither David Ellison nor his father Larry Ellison had made any promises to federal agencies or state officials about CNN or any other news outlet. The spokesperson said the company’s sole purpose is to support “truth-based journalism”.
This was followed by a reaction wall street journal Larry reportedly told President Trump that CNN could be overhauled if Paramount completed a deal for Warner Bros. Discovery. According to the report, both Larry and Trump considered CNN to be politically biased against the administration. However, Paramount rejected that account. Meanwhile, White House spokesman Kush Desai said Trump “has consistently stated that he was neutral toward all parties during the Warner Bros. Discovery bidding process.”
This deal has become the biggest topic of discussion in the media world. This is because it would give David control of some major entertainment giants. This includes CNN, CBS News, several movie studios and streaming services. The merger cleared a major hurdle earlier this month when the US Justice Department decided not to challenge the roughly $111 billion deal.
The timing couldn’t be more complicated for CBS News as the network is already dealing with internal drama. Veteran journalist Scott Pelley reportedly criticized the new leadership after his exit from 60 Minutes. Pelley accused editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of “killing” the prestigious program during a staff meeting.
That controversy has intensified questions about editorial changes following the Paramount acquisition of Skydance. At the same time, President Trump has continued to criticize CNN. He recently called the network “very corrupt” over its coverage during a press conference at the White House.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya Mandatory.