CNN: A Suddenly Uncertain Future

Netflix's stunning withdrawal Thursday from its bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery has cleared the path for Paramount Skydance, led by David Ellison, to take control of the media giant—including its 24-hour news channel CNN.

The shift has sparked anxiety in CNN's newsroom over potential threats to editorial independence under Ellison, a technology heir who recently revamped CBS News by appointing conservative figures and opinion journalists to key roles.

CNN CEO Mark Thompson addressed staff concerns Friday on an editorial call, urging calm: “The business, rather British, of keeping calm and carrying on is actually probably the most sensible thing for us all to do.”

Reporters and producers fear that a Paramount acquisition could compromise CNN's prized independence, especially given Ellison's friendly ties to President Trump—who has long accused CNN of bias—and his history of influencing news operations.

When Ellison acquired Paramount last year, the Trump administration approved the deal after Paramount settled a lawsuit against 60 Minutes for $16 million. Ellison attended Trump's State of the Union as Senator Lindsey Graham's guest this week.

At CBS News, Ellison appointed Kenneth R. Weinstein—a conservative policy veteran with no news oversight experience—as ombudsman. He named Bari Weiss, known for criticizing traditional media, as editor-in-chief. Weiss has questioned CBS correspondents about perceived liberal bias and postponed a 60 Minutes segment critical of the Trump administration, drawing interference accusations (though she insists on independence, and some conservatives praise the moves).It remains unclear whether Weiss would play a role at CNN, but one potential outcome could involve merging CBS and CNN news-gathering operations.

Trump's reaction to an Ellison-owned CNN is uncertain; he has called the Ellisons "friends" who would "do the right thing" at CBS, yet later criticized 60 Minutes post-takeover.

Earlier, when Netflix appeared poised to win Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN staff sighed in relief: Netflix planned to exclude CNN from its purchase, leaving the network in a spinoff under Thompson and Warner CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels.

Ellison, however, consistently sought to include CNN in any deal.After Netflix's announcement Thursday, Thompson emailed staff urging focus on journalism amid a "newsy year," including midterms, and advising against jumping to conclusions.