Settlement creates editorial board to safeguard CNN, CBS News independence

California Attorney General Rob Bonta defended the agreement publicly on Tuesday, appearing on NPR’s Morning Edition to argue that the settlement addresses the antitrust concerns California and 11 other states had raised against the $111 billion takeover.

Paramount had reportedly considered moving operations out of California as the legal battle continued. Asked on Morning Edition how much that possibility factored into the timing, Bonta said, “Not at all. We focused on our antitrust concerns in this case.”

Bonta had sounded more ambivalent a day earlier, stressing that the settlement was “not a vote of support for this merger” even as he called it the “best course of action.” On Tuesday, he was less equivocal: “We were making demands, and we were requiring that there be certain conditions and commitments,” he said.

One of the more closely watched provisions of the settlement creates an editorial board intended to protect the independence of CNN and CBS News, two of the news outlets Paramount would control under the merger. “The state of California will have no input in it. No government entity will have any input into it,” Bonta said. The board would “consist of seasoned, experienced, hopefully trusted journalists who know the craft and know the need for independence and objectivity and fairness,” he said.

Bonta said the standards that would determine whether the people selected to the board meet the settlement requirements were negotiated as part of the settlement and were designed to keep the board independent. He also said an auditor would monitor compliance and that the states could return to court if Paramount failed to follow the consent decree.

The agreement has not quieted its critics. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said his state had pushed for the full divestiture of CNN and CBS News and described himself as “deeply disappointed” the settlement did not go further. Others say it does too little to address media consolidation, potential job losses, and whether the new editorial safeguards will hold.

The settlement still requires a judge’s approval before the underlying lawsuit is formally resolved.