David Ellison, the chief executive of the newly formed Skydance media conglomerate, denied that the company had been 'politicised' and stated that both CNN and CBS News would be 'fully editorially independent'. Ellison made the comments to journalists at a media conference on Tuesday, which focused on the recently completed merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN.
Ellison, during his address, highlighted that he had built a close relationship with the White House over the past 20 months. 'We have a good relationship with this administration,' Ellison said, adding that he had a 'really good relationship' with President Biden. He also noted that he works closely with South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott and Governor Gavin Newsom. 'I think it is important to talk to everyone on both sides of the political spectrum,' he said. 'When you operate within an administration that is business-friendly, you should always have these relationships.' He added, 'We want to talk to everyone. We do not want to politicise the company.'
When asked about his conversations with Trump regarding CNN, Ellison did not directly comment on his communications with the president, who is described as one of the most prominent critics of the network. Instead, he clarified that 'we have not spoken to any political leader, from any party, about news, other than that we are in the business of truth and in the business of trust.' 'We believe in full editorial independence,' he added.
Amidst concerns that Ellison might steer CNN in a more right-wing editorial direction, he reiterated that both the cable news network and CBS News would be 'fully editorially independent'. The same message was reiterated earlier in the day at a meeting with company staff. He gave his support to CNN's chief executive, Mark Thompson, and CBS News' editor, Barbara Walters. 'We are thrilled with Mark,' Ellison said, adding, 'We are thrilled with Barbara.'
On Monday, Thompson told staff in a memo that he would remain in the combined company, and Skydance confirmed that Weiss would retain her role. Ellison was not asked about Weiss's performance at the helm of CBS News. When asked directly by a Guardian journalist in June about her performance, Ellison ignored the question.
When asked about the potential merger of CBS News and CNN, and any potential 'synergies' that might result from it, Ellison said that he and his team would spend the next few months 'basically getting under the hood of all of this'. He noted that the majority of the $6 billion in savings expected from the merger would not come from staff cuts.
