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AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now! , democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report . I’m Amy Goodman, today broadcasting from Northern Visions TV in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The Trump administration has approved Paramount’s $111 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. On Friday, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division said that it saw no evidence that the media megamerger would harm consumers, writing instead the deal would, quote, “increase competition across the media and entertainment ecosystem,” unquote. If completed, the merger would consolidate two major movie studios, two top streaming services, and news outlets CNN and CBS News, as well as HBO — all under the control of the Ellison family. Paramount’s biggest shareholder is the billionaire Larry Ellison, a close ally of Trump. Paramount’s CEO is Ellison’s son, David Ellison. Last year, his company, Skydance, took control of Paramount, including CBS . Shortly after the Paramount-Skydance merger was approved, Ellison installed the right-wing journalist Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News. And we all know what happened next: the gutting of CBS’s premier news investigative hour, 60 Minutes , where the latest casualty was Scott Pelley, who was just recently fired.
To talk all about all of this and more, we’re joined by Craig Aaron, co- CEO of Free Press and Free Press Action.
Craig, talk about the significance of Trump’s Department of Justice approving the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.
CRAIG AARON : Thanks for having me, Amy.
What we saw happen on Friday was the Justice Department say they could find no reason to block this merger. And that’s because they didn’t look for one. This has been one of the most shallow and corrupt merger review processes we’ve ever seen, and it has been marked by Paramount, the leadership of Paramount, David Ellison, his father Larry Ellison, wooing and capitulating to the Trump administration at every turn, having them for fancy dinners, promising to make sweeping changes to newsrooms like CNN if they can get this deal to go through.
And the great risk here is so much media control under one umbrella, the idea that two of our major mainstream news outlets could be controlled by one company, which, as you said, has shown it is willing to warp and manipulate news coverage to please the president, the idea that HBO and major movie studios, again, falling under one corporate umbrella, raising serious questions about what projects are going to be made, what documentary films will be made, what information and news will we see if the Ellisons control this much of our news media.
AMY GOODMAN : So, talk about this in the context of all these corporate mergers, what it means when CNN , CBS , HBO are all under the same roof.
CRAIG AARON : Well, I think we’ve seen it happening at CBS . So, the Ellisons aren’t hiding the ball. They’re not really making any — the promises they’re making are to turn CNN into something like what they’ve done with CBS , where they’re getting rid of independent journalists asking hard questions. They’re spiking stories about crimes being committed by the Trump administration. And what they’re promising is more of the same. And every big media company that’s gone before this administration to get a deal done, to push through megamerger after megamerger, has promised — and because they know this is what appeals to Trump, they’ve promised them to change their coverage, get rid of activist journalism, get rid of the kind of independent accountability that we need. And they’re going for even the most mainstream types of outlets, like 60 Minutes , you know, a program that is well regarded but certainly not the source of any kind of radical coverage, but serious coverage when it comes to what’s happening in this country and around the world. And under the Ellisons, there’s no place for it. So, we’ve already seen what they’ll do. And what we don’t know what will happen is what programs no longer get made. We get fewer and fewer choices, and we get more and more of the same kind of cookie-cutter content produced.
AMY GOODMAN : Craig, we just have 20 seconds. What are you calling on states’ attorneys general to do, from New York to California?
CRAIG AARON : The important thing here, Amy, is this is not over. Just because the Trump administration abdicated their responsibility, the states have a responsibility to step in. Attorneys general can go to court, challenge this deal. The evidence is overwhelming that this is too much concentration and consolidation. State attorneys general in California, in New York, in other states need to take action to block this deal, because the Trump administration certainly isn’t going to do it.
AMY GOODMAN : I want to thank you so much for being with us, Craig Aaron, co- CEO of Free Press and Free Press Action.
Thanks to everyone here at Northern Visions TV in Belfast, Northern…
Read the full article at Democracy Now! →📄Source document: Justice Department Statement on Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger→8 reports
Democracy Now!IndependentLeft6 days agoThe U.S. Department of Justice has approved Paramount's $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The Justice Department stated there was no evidence the merger would harm consumers, claiming it would increase competition in the media and entertainment industry. The merger would combine two major movie studios, two leading streaming platforms, and news networks such as CNN and CBS News, along with HBO, under the control of the Ellison family. Larry Ellison, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, is Paramount's largest shareholder. Following the merger, Ellison appointed right
Bias read (Left): The article presents the merger as a potential threat to media independence and competition, emphasizing concerns about consolidation under Trump allies. It highlights the removal of Scott Pelley from 60 Minutes and the appointment of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News as negative outcomes. S
Los Angeles TimesIndependent🔒Center8 days agoThe U.S. Department of Justice has approved Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros., allowing the merger to proceed.
Bias read (Center): The article presents a factual statement without any apparent framing, word-choice, emphasis, or sourcing that indicates a particular ideological slant. The content is purely informational regarding the approval of a corporate acquisition.
NPR NewsIndependentCenter8 days agoThe Justice Department has approved the proposed $110 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery, stating that it did not find any threats to competition or consumers.
Bias read (Center): The article presents a factual statement without opinion, framing, or emphasis that would indicate a particular ideological leaning. The subject matter is related to corporate mergers and regulatory approvals, which are generally considered apolitical unless tied to specific policy debates.
The HillIndependentCenter8 days agoThe Department of Justice (DOJ) has approved Paramount’s $110 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, according to the DOJ’s Antitrust Division. This approval clears a key regulatory hurdle for the merger between the two major entertainment companies. The DOJ analysis concluded that the transaction 'is not likely to result in harm to competition or American consumers.'
Bias read (Center): The article reports on a regulatory decision regarding a corporate merger without taking a stance or using biased language. It presents the facts of the DOJ's approval and the reasoning provided by the agency.
Official sources cited
- government Department of Justice (DOJ)
NPR NewsIndependentCenter8 days ago Justice Dept. approves Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. DiscoveryThe Justice Department has approved Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, allowing a $110 billion merger between the two major entertainment companies. The deal combines Paramount, which owns CBS, with Warner Bros. Discovery, which includes HBO and CNN.
Bias read (Center): The article presents a factual update on a business merger without any apparent ideological framing, word choice, or emphasis that suggests a political leaning. It simply reports the approval of the merger by the Justice Department.
Official sources cited
- government Justice Department Approval
NBC NewsIndependentCenter8 days agoThe Justice Department has approved Paramount Skydance's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Bias read (Center): The article presents a factual statement without any apparent framing, word-choice, emphasis, or sourcing that indicates a particular ideological slant. It simply reports the approval of a business transaction by the Justice Department.
Official sources cited
- government Justice Department
The Daily WireIndependentCenter9 days agoThe U.S. Department of Justice has approved Paramount Skydance's $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, removing a key regulatory barrier for the merger. The DOJ's Antitrust Division determined the deal does not threaten competition and did not require Paramount to divest assets or accept additional conditions. The merger would create one of the world's largest media companies, combining entities such as CNN, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. Pictures. The decision follows extensive scrutiny during President Donald Trump's second term. Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, son of Oracle's
Bias read (Center): The article presents factual information about the approval of a corporate merger by the Department of Justice, citing official sources like Politico and CNBC. It provides details about the merger's implications and the lack of imposed conditions but does not exhibit clear ideological framing or slm
Official sources cited
- press release Politico
- press release CNBC
NBC NewsIndependentCenter12 days ago Paramount accuses Netflix of ‘scorched-earth’ campaign against Warner Bros. dealParamount Skydance has accused Netflix of leading a 'scorched-earth' campaign against its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The accusation comes in a letter from Paramount's chief legal officer to the Justice Department, claiming Netflix is trying to influence regulators and stakeholders against the merger. Netflix denied the claims, stating they 'walked away from this deal months ago' and emphasized that regulatory approval is ultimately up to the authorities. The merger, which was approved by Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders in late April, is currently under review by U.
Bias read (Center): The article presents both sides of the dispute without overtly favoring one over the other. It includes direct quotes from both Paramount Skydance and Netflix, providing a balanced view of their respective positions. There is no evident editorializing or biased language that leans toward either side
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