🔗 Share this article

Late Thursday, while unconfirmed reports spread regarding the Brown University gunman, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins used social media, noting the confusion and pointing viewers to her network’s 9pm newscast.

Even though the network is hardly a flawless news source, her statement seemed accurate for a lot of people. It remains one of the broadcasters where there exists grounded and generally dependable reporting – particularly during breaking news situations such as the one unfolding close to a New Hampshire storage facility.

An Uncertain State Amid a Corporate Struggle

However the news network, now middle-aged, finds itself in a vulnerable position as two massive media corporations battle over ownership of its parent company, Warner Bros Discovery.

Whatever the outcome, the future of CNN has turned into a major game of corporate ownership, not as a question of what benefits the news-consuming public.

“This represents another instance of the fundamental flaws with origins in decades of regulatory actions,” stated Victor Pickard, writer of “Democracy Without Journalism?” and a academic specializing in media policy at the Penn.

The debate about the future owner of Warner Bros Discovery – could it be Netflix or Paramount Skydance? – misses a larger point.

“The narrative is crafted as a business story with powerful individuals as the main characters, but there is hardly any discussion of the common good,” Pickard added.

The Additional Layer: Political Influence

The network's predicament is further muddied by Donald Trump’s longstanding stance about a network he has consistently labeled as perhaps his primary “fake news” adversary.

Think back to the chants of “CNN sucks!” at his rallies, his administration’s punitive withdrawal of reporter Jim Acosta’s press credentials, or his tense exchanges with Collins in White House briefings.

Trump now says that CNN needs new ownership. This can be interpreted as ownership that will shield him from negative coverage and examination. That is a factor in why he appears to favor Paramount Skydance, which has made a unsolicited offer.

He has grounds to prefer that suitor more. For one thing, it is led by David Ellison, son of the Trump-friendly Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people.

Paramount, parent of CBS News, also recently appointed the right-leaning Bari Weiss, known for her “anti-woke” beliefs, as the editor-in-chief of that storied news network.

A Possibility of Continued Turmoil

Notably, if Netflix wins, CNN and other cable outlets would first be separated into a independent unit. That would be a welcome development to many at the network, but it’s far from a safe harbor. That setup could pave the way for CNN for yet another acquisition. It never ends.

If you ask Timothy Wu, a great deal of this is illegal, anyway. The well-known analyst of big tech’s dominance recently argued that competition laws should prohibit both deals.

“Both acquisition attempts would be harmful to the country, and both should be contested by anti-trust authorities,” Wu stated.

The Core Challenge and a Potential Solution

No matter the outcome regarding CNN, the underlying crisis persists.

“What we have now is a very structure that undermines democracy, but we shouldn’t give in to learned helplessness,” Pickard said. Regulatory choices – from the 1930s and 1940s – helped to create this overly commercial monster, and different policy decisions can address it.

Can reform occur in an era where the top communications regulator will not confirm that the agency is independent? Reform is a distant prospect now, but that should not imply it will not happen in the future.

Measures that support independent news organizations, bolster local journalism, subsidize public media, and prohibit the accumulation of media power in very few hands are not only possible – they are vital for a healthy democracy.

Regarding media ownership, size does not equal quality. And news organizations like CNN shouldn’t be pawns in the newest corporate chess match.