Staffers Panic: CNN Expected To Join The CBS News Portfolio

The potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance has advanced significantly, with Netflix withdrawing its competing bid on Thursday, clearing the path for Paramount to potentially take control of CNN alongside its existing CBS News operations. This development has sparked immediate concerns among media watchdogs about concentrated ownership and potential shifts in editorial direction.

If the transaction ultimately closes, Paramount Skydance, led by David Ellison, would add CNN to a portfolio that already includes CBS News, creating a combined entity controlling two major cable news networks. Media advocacy groups have raised alarms over this consolidation, particularly given recent changes at CBS News under Ellison's ownership.

The surprising turnaround paves the way for David Ellison—CEO of Paramount Skydance and a vocal Trump ally—to take the reins of WBD's vast media empire. This encompasses Warner Bros. Pictures, Max (formerly HBO Max), and a wide array of cable channels, with CNN standing out as the most prominent.  The acquisition virtually ensures deep cost-cutting and widespread layoffs throughout the combined company. At CNN in particular, staffers were thrown into a frenzy, suddenly facing the very real possibility of reporting to Bari Weiss—now a key figure at Paramount-owned CBS News—by year's end.

Craig Aaron, co-CEO of the media advocacy organization Free Press, strongly criticized the prospect, stating: “The idea that Paramount should be allowed to control CBS and CNN should be unthinkable.” He added that the new owner had promised President Trump they would “make sweeping changes to CNN given the chance, and we know what that means.” 

A Paramount spokeswoman did not immediately respond to Aaron’s comments.

Since taking over Paramount, Ellison has revamped CBS News by installing Bari Weiss—the provocative founder of the digital news and opinion outlet The Free Press—as editor in chief. Ellison has publicly stated he wants CBS News “to speak to that 70% of the audience that would really define themselves at center-left to center-right.”

In response to the unfolding situation, CNN President Mark Thompson addressed staff in a memo, urging restraint: “Don’t jump to conclusions until we know more.” Thompson emphasized focusing on delivering strong journalism amid the uncertainty.

The deal remains subject to shareholder approval (including a planned Warner Bros. Discovery vote in March) and regulatory review, meaning the outcome—and any potential impact on CNN—is not yet finalized.