🔗 Share this article

This past Thursday night, as rumors swirled about a shooting at Brown University, the network's Kaitlan Collins took to social media, noting the confusion and guiding the public to her network’s 9pm newscast.

Although the network is hardly a impeccable news source, her statement resonated for numerous observers. It is one of the organizations where one can locate reality-based and generally dependable reporting – especially during fast-moving events such as the one taking place in the vicinity of a New Hampshire storage facility.

A Vulnerable State Amid a Business Struggle

But CNN, now middle-aged, finds itself in a uncertain situation as two giant media empires compete for ownership of its parent company, Warner Bros Discovery.

Regardless of who wins, the future of CNN has turned into a high-stakes game of corporate ownership, rather than as a question of what serves the news-consuming public.

“Here is one more case of the fundamental flaws with roots in many years of regulatory actions,” noted Victor Pickard, author of “Democracy Without Journalism?” and a media policy professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

The conjecture about which company will control Warner Bros Discovery – will it be Netflix or Paramount Skydance? – misses a more important point.

“The narrative is crafted as a corporate drama with influential figures as the main characters, but there is hardly any discussion of the common good,” Pickard said.

A Further Layer: Donald Trump

The CNN scenario is complicated by Donald Trump’s views about a network he has frequently denounced as perhaps his main “fake news” antagonist.

Recall the chants of “CNN sucks!” at the president’s rallies, his administration’s punitive suspension of reporter Jim Acosta’s press credentials, or his tense exchanges with Collins in press briefings.

Trump now asserts that CNN needs new ownership. Many see this as a desire for ownership that will insulate him from criticism and scrutiny. That is a factor in why he seems to come down on the side of Paramount Skydance, which has made a aggressive takeover attempt.

Trump has reason to prefer that suitor more. For one thing, it is run by David Ellison, son of the ally of Trump Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people.

The company, owner of CBS News, also recently placed the conservative Bari Weiss, known for her “anti-woke” beliefs, as the editor-in-chief of that historic news network.

An Outcome of More Uncertainty

Significantly, if Netflix prevails, CNN and other cable outlets would first be spun off into a independent unit. Such a move could be a relief to many at the network, but it’s far from a guarantee of stability. That arrangement could pave the way for CNN for yet another acquisition. There is no finish line.

In the view of Timothy Wu, much of this is against the law, anyway. The well-known analyst of big tech’s dominance wrote recently that anti-trust laws should disallow both deals.

“Both acquisition attempts would be detrimental to the country, and both should be opposed by the government,” Wu stated.

The Fundamental Problem and a Path Forward

No matter the outcome with this particular battle, the bigger problem remains.

“The present media landscape is a profoundly system hostile to democracy, but we ought not succumb to a sense of powerlessness,” Pickard noted. Government actions – from the 1930s and 1940s – helped to create this profit-obsessed monster, and new policy decisions can address it.

Will that happen in an era where the top communications regulator won’t even affirm that the agency is independent? Reform is a distant prospect now, but that is not to say it will be impossible forever.

Policies that bolster independent news organizations, aid local journalism, fund public media, and prevent the consolidation of media power in very few hands are within reach – they are essential for a healthy democracy.

In the world of media ownership, bigger isn’t better. And news organizations including CNN shouldn’t be pieces in the latest corporate chess match.