Skydance, owned by the son of Larry Ellison who is currently worth more than Elon Musk and is a strong support of President Trump, just purchased CBS and just put in a new news director who is conservative. There are now talks of taking over CNN too and possibly taking on FOX News as the standard bearer for "fair and balanced" news.
I would certainly welcome another source of news that is not far left.
I would certainly welcome another source of news that is not far left.
CBS shifts to appease the right under new owner
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David FolkenflikSeptember 12, 20255:00 AM ET
Under new owner David Ellison, CBS parent company Paramount has taken several steps to appease concerns about bias from the Trump administration, including hiring a news ombudsman with strong conservative credentials.
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CBS' new corporate owner has taken a series of concrete steps to address the concerns of the news division's sharpest critics — particularly President Trump and his allies.
In recent days, the network selected a new ombudsman for CBS News with strong conservative credentials. It promised to run full, unedited interviews on a key public affairs show after receiving blowback from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. And it's in talks to bring on a top news executive who believes the mainstream press is reflexively biased.
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Its coverage of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War, U.S. astronauts walking on the moon, Watergate and the Tiananmen Square massacre helped to define those events for Americans. In recent years, some of its most prominent correspondents have covered Trump aggressively. And Trump has attacked the network in his public statements.
These latest moves under Skydance follow a $16 million payment by CBS' previous owner to settle a lawsuit Trump brought against the network and regulatory pressure by Trump's chief broadcast regulator against the sale. Even since CBS changed hands, it has not escaped the wrath of the Trump administration. Recently, the White House and Noem lambasted the network over the handling of a recent interview.
Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that the company wants to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery — the owner of Warner Bros. studios, HBO Max and cable news giant CNN. Such grand ambitions would have to pass muster with Trump administration regulators once more. And they would also raise questions about CNN's direction under Skydance, were they to come to pass.
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Discussions to give Bari Weiss news leadership role
Among the moves being discussed is one to bring a contrarian journalist on board to steer CBS News. Skydance is in talks to pay $100 million or more to acquire the buzzy digital news and opinion startup The Free Press, which has drawn a lot of headlines, paying subscribers, and investors in its 4 1/2 years. . . .
Weiss delivered a blast at what she says is bias in the mainstream media, including at The New York Times, where she was an opinion editor. Among the examples of ensuing coverage: essays focusing on a perceived pro-Palestinian slant in the media's coverage of Israeli military's actions in the Israel-Hamas war and accusations that NPR's reporting has a liberal slant.
She appears unlikely to run CBS News on a day-to-day level or to oversee logistics. Should the deal be consummated, it seems likely she would operate as a senior news executive shaping the strategy and tone of its reporting, helping to ensure its overall coverage is headed in a desired direction. . .
