How much will his political line change – for the better -? Will the authoritative American news network evolve into a version of pro-Trump Fox News? These are the concerns of many employees at CNN, in view of its acquisition by Skydance, David Ellison, son of the billionaire Larry Ellison, founder of the technology giant Oracle, and a friend of the US President Trump.
As part of a $111 billion deal, Paramount Skydance is expected to complete its acquisition of CNN’s parent company, despite the fact that Netflix had also made an offer to buy the business.
The Ellison family is flooding the US media
Given the Ellison family’s inroads into the US media space, the fears of CNN workers, who worry that Trump-friendly Paramount Skydance will change CNN’s politically liberal profile and cut jobs, are not unfounded. The concerns are justified: since David Ellison bought Paramount, which he merged with his Skydance business, in August 2025, the company has been accused of pandering to Trump.
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Paramount paid the US president $16 million after Trump sued CBS’s 60 Minutes history show, which it also owns, over the editing of an interview with former US vice president Kamala Harris, a Democrat, which Trump says defamed him.
The same show had also temporarily suspended a report about a prison in El Salvador to which the Trump administration had sent some immigrants it had deported from the US.
In addition, Paramount canceled Stephen Colbert’s popular entertainment show “The Late Show,” which has been highly critical of Trump, announcing that it will go off the air after May.
CNN: a great brand according to its new owner
In an interview, David Ellison argued that CNN will remain an independent news organization and that just as CBS has maintained its independence, so too will CNN, a “great brand” with a great team of great journalists, “which we will continue to support.”
Notably, the US launched the attack against Iran a day after Paramount Skydance was confirmed as the highest bidder in the CNN takeover process.
Fake CNN News according to Trump
Despite assurances from Ellison and CNN CEO Mark Thompson that the network would not be swayed by political pressure — “Politicians have an obvious incentive to question journalism that raises questions, but at CNN, our only interest is telling the truth,” Thompson wrote in a post — two weeks after Paramount Skydance prevailed in its bid, the White House issued a statement accusing CNN that it is “lying” in its coverage of the US war with Iran.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed a CNN report on how the Trump administration failed to foresee the war’s implications of closing the Straits of Hormuz, the sea route through which 20% of
of oil in the world. “The sooner David Ellison takes over this network, the better,” concluded Hegseth.
Trump has claimed that the people who run CNN “are a disgrace” and that it is imperative to sell the network, which for more than a decade, he has called “Fake News CNN.” In February, Trump called chief White House correspondent Caitlan Collins “the worst reporter” when she questioned him about the files on convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Trump scolded her because “even though he’s known her for ten years, he’s never seen her smile.” CNN supported the journalist calling her excellent at her job.
CNN – CBS, parallel lives
Although the White House’s current attacks on CNN are reminiscent of “one of the same,” there is now, as a CNN employee speaking anonymously, fearing for his position, told the Washington Post newspaper, “a big asterisk” regarding the future of the network in the face of new ownership.
Another colleague said he is more concerned about the potential for mismanagement if CNN is taken over by current CBS News chief Barry Weiss, a former New York Times columnist and staunch opponent of woke culture.
Ellison’s successor, Weiss, whom Trump has praised publicly, has already clashed with CBS as she tries to reshape the news organization during her first six months in office.
The former film producer in the role of media executive
Until last year, CNN’s new owner, David Ellison, 43, was a producer in Hollywood, where he has been active for two decades. In 2006, he co-founded Skydance Media with his billionaire father and financed commercial film franchises such as ‘Star Trek’, ‘Mission: Impossible’ and ‘Top Gun’.
When in 2024 the historic film company Paramount was faced with serious financial problems and began to look for potential buyers, the son Ellison appeared as a savior.
