New CNN owner David Ellison said he supports CNN’s lawsuit against the Trump administration over access to the White House and will not interfere with the news organization’s coverage.
“We believe in editorial independence and we will never interfere,” Ellison said, reiterating assurances he gave when seeking to buy Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this year.
The merger between Warner and Paramount went into effect Tuesday morning, and Ellison held an employee town hall to introduce the newly merged company, named Skydance.
Ellison, CEO of Skydance, outlined his vision for investing in films, entertainment and new technologies.
“For the first time,” he said, “we have the studios, the franchises, the libraries, the talent and the scale under one roof to compete with anyone in the world.”
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper interviewed Ellison at the town hall and asked him directly about CNN employees’ concerns regarding Skydance ownership.
In response, Ellison said, “I believe deeply in journalism” and went on to call the work done by CBS News and CNN “a vital part of our democracy.”
While speaking about the need for fact-based information, Ellison said, “You go back to what President Obama said during the pandemic. He said that a republic that can’t agree on the same set of facts can’t work, and I think he was 100% right on that.”
In the news space, “we really want to contribute to the evolution and digital transition of the business,” Ellison said.
He stressed the importance of growing CNN’s digital operations and reaching new audiences around the world, citing Skydance’s estimate that the combined company reaches more than 200 million streaming subscribers.
The newly created company, he said, “can create an even bigger platform for the best journalism in the world.”
The Ellison family’s ties to President Donald Trump have fueled CNN employees’ concerns about the channel’s independence.
Last fall, Trump described Ellison and his father, billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, as “my friends” and “my great supporters.” Last December, Trump said “it is imperative that CNN be sold” to new owners.
Asked about the merger by a reporter Tuesday afternoon, Trump said: “It’s going to be a great company. They’re great people, and it’s going to be a great company.”
At the Skydance town hall, Cooper asked a follow-up question about CNN, MS NOW and Politico’s First Amendment lawsuit over Trump’s recent attempt to ban the three media outlets from the White House.
Cooper asked: “Do you support CNN and our efforts to fully restore access to coverage of President Trump?
“Of course,” Ellison said.
The next hearing in this legal case is scheduled for Thursday morning.
CNN President and Editor-in-Chief Mark Thompson and CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss were in attendance at the town hall. The two press operations operate separately at the moment.
“We trust Mark, we trust the team,” Ellison said speaking to CNN.
Later, Cooper asked about the likelihood of a tie-up between CBS and CNN in the future: “If Paramount and Warner Brothers are cousins now, and CBS News and CNN are cousins, when will anyone start asking them to share organs?”
“It’s day one,” Ellison said.
He said he intended to involve relevant business leaders “in the decision-making process” now that the agreement has come into force.
Generally speaking, companies will begin making integration decisions “within typically 120 days,” Ellison said, “but I think it’s foolish to try to say I’m going to show up with every answer today.”
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