Executives at Paramount have weighed the creation of an independent board to oversee the operations of CBS News and CNN in an effort to ease concerns over the company’s acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), according to a report on Wednesday.
The report, from the Wall Street Journal, said the internal discussions were rooted in ongoing scrutiny by some state regulators, including ones that are participating in an ongoing effort to block the merger on antitrust grounds.
The transaction is currently on hold while an antitrust lawsuit filed by California and 11 other states proceeds in federal court. A trial is scheduled for March. The states argue the merger would give the combined company too much power in theatrical film distribution and cable television.
The discussions about a potential editorial board began before the lawsuit was filed, according to one person familiar with the talks.
“We always remain open to internal improvements to journalistic integrity,” Paramount said in a statement to reporters on Wednesday.
The idea reflects broader concerns about whether Paramount CEO David Ellison will influence coverage at CNN or CBS News if the WBD deal is completed, the Journal reported. Those worries grew last year when Paramount paid $16 million to President Donald Trump in order to settle an ongoing lawsuit over an edited “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris while Ellison’s Skydance Media merger with Paramount was still awaiting regulatory approval.
After the settlement, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the transfer of CBS-held broadcast TV licenses from Paramount to Skydance, the last hurdle before the merger could close.
Some CBS correspondents have also alleged political interference since Ellison named Free Press founder Bari Weiss as CBS News Editor in Chief last fall. CBS has denied that political interference is taking place at the network.
Ellison addressed the issue directly in a New York Times guest essay last week, arguing that the state lawsuit is not really about antitrust but about whether he can be trusted to own CNN.
“The issue is whether I can be trusted as a steward of Warner’s CNN — there has been speculation about my politics, my loyalties, my intentions,” Ellison wrote. “I can’t give anyone a view into my heart and mind, but I can share this: I have regularly voted for candidates of both parties; I hold some views that would be called conservative and others that would be called liberal, just like most Americans; and when it comes to our news operations, I do not aspire to lead these companies to bend their newsrooms to my views. I believe that news should be based on facts and truth.”
CNN frequently draws criticism from Trump, who often complains about the network’s coverage. Ellison is the son of Larry Ellison, a billionaire technology executive who is considered a Trump ally.
Trump himself has expressed approval for the deal to acquire WBD. Last year, he said CNN should be sold to Paramount as part of their deal or sold to a separate company.
“I don’t think the people that are running that company right now and running CNN — which is a very dishonest group of people — I don’t think that should be allowed to continue,” Trump complained. “I think CNN should be sold along with everything else.”
