🔗 Share this article

Late Thursday, amid swirling speculation regarding an incident at Brown University, the network's Kaitlan Collins took to social media, highlighting the uncertainty and guiding the public to her channel's 9pm newscast.

Although CNN is certainly not a impeccable news source, her statement seemed accurate for numerous observers. It remains one of the broadcasters where there exists grounded and generally reliable reporting – particularly during crises such as the one taking place in the vicinity of a New Hampshire storage facility.

A Vulnerable Situation Amid a High-Stakes Struggle

However the news network, now middle-aged, finds itself in a precarious position as two huge media conglomerates compete for ownership of its corporate owner, Warner Bros Discovery.

No matter the result, the fate of CNN has become part of a major game of mergers and acquisitions, not as a question of what serves the information-seeking public.

“This is yet another example of the profound systemic issues with origins in many years of governmental choices,” said Victor Pickard, writer of “Democracy Without Journalism?” and a academic specializing in media policy at the University of Pennsylvania.

The debate about who will own Warner Bros Discovery – could it be Netflix or Paramount Skydance? – fails to grasp a larger point.

“It gets presented as a business story with key players as the main characters, but there is very little discussion of the societal benefit,” Pickard explained.

The Additional Element: Donald Trump

The CNN scenario is made more complex by Donald Trump’s longstanding stance about a network he has consistently labeled as perhaps his main “fake news” antagonist.

Recall the cries of “CNN sucks!” at his rallies, his team's disciplinary withdrawal of reporter Jim Acosta’s press credentials, or his tense exchanges with Collins in press briefings.

Trump now claims that the network requires new ownership. Many see this as a desire for ownership that will insulate him from negative coverage and examination. That is a factor in why he appears to come down on the side of Paramount Skydance, which has made a unsolicited offer.

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

The company, parent of CBS News, also recently appointed the conservative Bari Weiss, noted for her “anti-woke” beliefs, as the top editor of that storied news network.

An Outcome of More Turmoil

Notably, if Netflix is successful, CNN and other cable outlets would first be separated into a standalone company. Such a move could be a relief to many at the network, but it’s not exactly a secure position. That arrangement could set up CNN for a future sale. There is no finish line.

If you ask Timothy Wu, much of this is against the law, anyway. The well-known analyst of big tech’s dominance stated that competition laws should prohibit both deals.

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

The Bigger Challenge and a Way Ahead

Whatever happens in this situation, the bigger problem persists.

“What we have now is a profoundly anti-democratic system, but we ought not succumb to learned helplessness,” Pickard said. Government actions – originating in the 1930s and 1940s – helped to build this hyper-commercialized monster, and revised policy decisions can address it.

Will that happen in an era where the head of the FCC won’t even affirm that the agency is independent? Reform is highly improbable now, but that is not to say it will never happen.

Initiatives that bolster independent news organizations, bolster local journalism, subsidize public media, and prohibit the accumulation of media power in very few hands are achievable – they are vital for a functioning democracy.

In the world of media ownership, size does not equal quality. And news organizations like CNN cannot be pawns in the latest corporate chess match.