Paramount CEO David Ellison says CNN’s editorial independence ‘will be maintained’

Paramount CEO David Ellison, above, said CNN will “maintain” its editorial independence under a merged Paramount-WBD. - Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Paramount CEO David Ellison has pledged to support editorial independence at CNN, saying it “needs to be maintained,” amid widespread concern about his company’s plans for the news network.

Last week, Ellison emerged victorious in a months-long battle for Warner Bros Discovery after Netflix pulled out of the bidding process. Now, Paramount is working to win regulatory approval of the deal in the US and other markets.

Appearing Thursday morning on CNBC for his first interview since the WBD deal was struck, Ellison did not address the potential for a merger of CNN with Paramount’s CBS News division.

CNBC’s David Faber said there are “a lot of concerns, certainly when you put CNN and CBS — well, I don’t want to say, put them together, but I wonder, is that kind of part of the plan in terms of newsgathering?” Then Faber also asked, “What do you tell employees of CNN at this point as they are concerned about their own future at that network?”

“CNN is an incredible brand with an incredible team,” Ellison said, “and we absolutely believe in the independence that needs to be maintained, obviously, for those incredible journalists, and we want to support that going forward.”

Later in the interview, Faber said, “Unfortunately, the world we live in has a political overlay on almost everything going on in the corporate world, certainly when it comes to news organizations.”

“There is certainly a perception and or a fear, perhaps, that once you take control of CNN and given the changes you’ve made at CBS, that you will be more beholden to the Trump administration,” Faber said. “Can you address that, that potential fear, at least, on the part of many?”

Ellison seemed prepared for the question. “Editorial independence will actually be maintained,” he said. “It’s maintained at CBS, it’ll be maintained at CNN.”

Then he invoked a concept that he has talked about before: That “70%” of Americans are roughly in the middle, “from center left to center right,” and aren’t part of the hyperpartisan extremes.

“Really, who we want to talk to is the 70% of Americans — and really around the world — that identify as center left, as center right,” Ellison said.

“We want to be in the truth business, we want to be in the trust business, and that’s not going to change,” he added.

Ellison’s comments are noteworthy because Paramount’s vision for CNN has been something of a mystery.

Critics have accused both the old and new owners of Paramount of making changes to appease President Trump and receive favorable treatment from regulators.

“Ellison will readily throw the First Amendment, CNN’s reporters and HBO’s filmmakers under the bus if they stand in the way of expanding his corporate empire and fattening his pockets,” Freedom of the Press Foundation chief of advocacy Seth Stern charged last week.