CNN has come under Skydance’s ownership after Paramount completed its $81 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday, October 6, bringing the international news network and CBS News into the same corporate group amid scrutiny over their future editorial independence.
The deal, concluded after about a year of negotiations and legal challenges, places two influential American news organisations under a business led by David Ellison, whose billionaire family has close ties to United States President Donald Trump. It comes as American broadcasters intensify coverage ahead of the November midterm elections, with CNN already locked in a dispute with the White House over access.
For now, CNN will retain its own editorial leadership. Skydance confirmed on Monday that Mark Thompson, who has led the network since 2023, will continue as editor-in-chief, while Bari Weiss remains in charge at CBS News. The announcement settles the immediate question of who will lead CNN, although the longer-term relationship between the two newsrooms remains unclear.
According to the Associated Press, Thompson told employees in a memo that he expected to retain his existing editorial authority and was confident Ellison and the incoming leadership would support independent journalism. He nevertheless acknowledged that some details of CNN’s operations under its new owner had yet to be finalised.
A central condition of the takeover is the creation of a News Editorial Independence Board within 180 days of completion. The arrangement emerged from a settlement with a coalition of 12 US states that had challenged the merger.
The five-member panel will comprise serving or retired journalists with at least a decade of experience. Its responsibilities will include developing editorial principles drawn from CNN and CBS News standards, addressing disputes between newsroom employees and corporate management, and monitoring compliance with ethical journalism standards in US coverage.
However, the combined company’s directors will appoint the panel, and its members will report to that corporate board. No more than two members may belong to the same political party, while government employees are excluded from membership and from overseeing appointments. Members will serve three-year terms but may be removed for cause.
Those provisions have drawn mixed reactions. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who led the states’ challenge, said the agreement would help protect independent, fact-based reporting. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong had sought the separation of CNN and CBS from the merged business and expressed disappointment that the settlement did not go further. Colorado and Washington joined the broader settlement but declined to endorse the editorial board provisions.
Media scholars also questioned whether the arrangement would provide sufficient protection. Megan Duncan, an associate professor at Virginia Tech, told AP that allowing Paramount to select the members could weaken the panel’s authority.
J. Christopher Hamilton, an associate professor at Syracuse University, warned that corporate influence need not involve direct instructions about coverage. Decisions on staffing, funding and newsroom resources could gradually reshape a network’s journalism, making the practical exercise of editorial independence as significant as any formal promise.
The concerns follow controversy at CBS News since Skydance acquired Paramount in 2025, including disputes surrounding its flagship “60 Minutes” programme. Under a separate settlement with the Writers Guild of America, Paramount also agreed to protect writers at CBS News Broadcast from layoffs for five years.
Ellison has repeatedly pledged to preserve editorial independence at both networks, saying their journalists should serve the public and follow the facts rather than a political party or cause.
Those assurances face scrutiny because of Trump’s longstanding hostility towards CNN. According to AP, his administration barred CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House in September over coverage it described as unfavourable. The three organisations have filed a joint lawsuit challenging the action.
CBS has also faced pressure from the president. Paramount’s earlier sale to Skydance received Federal Communications Commission approval weeks after the company agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit concerning the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview.
With the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition now complete, attention turns to the appointment of the editorial panel and the decisions Skydance makes about staffing, budgets and operations. Thompson’s retention provides continuity at CNN, but the network’s direction under its new ownership will become clearer as those decisions take effect.
