Recently, CNN anchor Abby Philip accused MAGA Republicans of being stuck in “information silos.” This is the same anchor that, just weeks ago, said in an interview on The Breakfast Club that her network is fair and not extreme. Give me a break.
For years, CNN has been the network that the public has trusted the least. But will that soon change?
CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, is now accepting acquisition bids before a Nov. 20 deadline. If someone succeeds in buying the company, they will ultimately take control of CNN, and that decision can completely change the outlet’s direction for generations to come.
A report from late last week said Paramount/Skydance, Comcast, and Netflix are preparing bids ahead of a Nov. 20 deadline. These companies have very different track records, and that’s why people across the political and media landscapes are watching closely.
A Comcast buyout would raise obvious concerns for conservatives. As the owner of MSNBC, Comcast already oversees one of the most biased and opinionated news environments in the country. If it were to add CNN to its portfolio, it’s difficult to see how the two brands wouldn’t eventually drift toward the same kind of programming.
Netflix acquiring CNN would present similar concerns. Over the past several years, much of its original programming and corporate strategy has centered on progressive social themes, from identity-focused dramas to political documentaries produced by the Obamas’ Higher Ground production company. The platform also launched a $100 million fund for diversity and racial equity initiatives, built internal divisions around “inclusive storytelling,” and faced very public employee walkouts over content such as the Dave Chappelle specials. It’s pretty obvious how a company built around this type of editorial identity would handle managing a legacy news outlet like CNN.
Paramount, backed by David Ellison and the Ellison family, is the only bidder in the current mix that doesn’t immediately set off alarms for conservatives. The Ellison family took effective control of the company this year. Larry Ellison is one of the few prominent tech moguls who isn’t afraid to break with Silicon Valley’s political consensus. He has even hosted fundraisers for President Trump.
Paramount’s leadership change has already brought noticeable improvements. For example, last month, it acquired Bari Weiss’s media outlet, The Free Press, and announced Weiss as CBS’s Editor-In-Chief. Weiss is the former New York Times writer and editor who resigned over concerns that the outlet was acting more like a political mouthpiece for the Democratic Party than a genuine news outlet. Bringing her under its umbrella suggests Paramount is genuinely trying to rethink its editorial culture.
Still, no one can say with certainty what any bidder would actually do to CNN. These are large corporations with nuanced incentives and shareholder pressures.
The three bidders that have been publicly identified may not be the final set either. Media deals of this size often attract late entrants, consortium buyers, or unexpected players who wait until the last days to show their hand. Another conservative-friendly bidder — potentially with a completely different approach to news — could still enter the conversation.
In any event, conservatives should continue to follow this case closely because the decisions made in the next several weeks can determine what the next era of cable news looks like.
The American people deserve unbiased information free of hidden agendas and misinformation. CNN failed that test years ago. The question remains: can it be fixed?
For now, all we can do is watch the process unfold. Time will tell whether it produces more of the same or a genuine course correction, but the stakes for the media landscape couldn’t be higher.
Sean Spicer (@SeanSpicer), the host of The Sean Spicer Show, is a former Press Secretary to President Donald J. Trump.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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