The Freedom of the Press Foundation said Paramount Skydance rejected a 30-second advertisement that criticized the company’s owners and its planned acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, with a Paramount sales representative telling the group’s ad buyer that the creative submitted was “a conflict of interest” and therefore could not run.
The ad had been submitted for placement during Sunday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship broadcast at the White House, which aired on Paramount+. The organization was told advertising slots during the event would cost approximately $300,000. According to an email exchange viewed by the Guardian, discussions between Paramount’s ad salesperson and the foundation’s ad buyer proceeded smoothly until the ad itself was reviewed. On Friday afternoon, two days before the fight, the Paramount salesman notified the buyer that the ad could not run, writing: “Unfortunately, the creative you submitted was a conflict of interest so it was not approved.”
The unaired ad states: “Instead of defending press freedom, CBS’ billionaire owners cut deals and caved to Trump.” It goes on to reference the recent uproar at “60 Minutes,” saying: “One fired reporter said ‘CBS demanded falsehoods and bias to appease Trump.’ Now Trump wants the Ellisons to buy CNN, too … Let’s stop Trump’s censorship and block this merger.”
Seth Stern, chief of advocacy for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, criticized the decision in a statement. “Ellison has already shown his cards on editorial independence, but, in case there was any doubt, his company has now declined to air a straightforward message about what his proposed takeover of CNN, HBO, and other outlets would mean for press freedom. Instead, it censored it,” Stern said. He added: “Ellison won’t air criticism of himself, his company, or his buddy Trump. These antics are bad for press freedom, bad for the public, and bad for Paramount – just look at CBS’ recent struggles under Ellison’s watch.”
Television networks regularly reject advocacy messages for a variety of reasons, but Stern’s organization characterized the refusal as a direct attack on press freedom. The group instead plans to air the ad on its own website, which is dedicated to opposing the merger. The Justice Department under President Donald Trump cleared the acquisition on June 12, but the deal still faces regulatory hurdles outside the United States.