FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, the sole Democrat on the three-member FCC, dissented in a 2-1 vote approving the $8.4 billion Paramount-Skydance merger.
Her dissent centered on concerns that the FCC, under Chairman Brendan Carr, exerted undue pressure on Paramount and Skydance to secure the deal, compromising press freedom and violating First Amendment principles.
Gomez criticized Paramount for agreeing to a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump over a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris, which Trump claimed was deceptively edited. She called this settlement a “desperate move” to appease the administration and gain FCC approval, setting a “dangerous precedent” for press freedom.
Gomez described the FCC’s actions as “unprecedented,” specifically highlighting conditions imposed on the merger, such as:
- Elimination of DEI Programs: Skydance committed to ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at Paramount, aligning with the Trump administration’s stance against such programs. Gomez argued this overstepped the FCC’s authority, as employment matters fall under other agencies’ jurisdiction.
- Newsroom Oversight: Skydance agreed to appoint an ombudsman at CBS News to evaluate complaints of editorial bias for at least two years. Gomez saw this as an imposition of “never-before-seen controls” over newsroom decisions, violating First Amendment protections.