Skydance CEO Ellison denies politicizing company, pledges editorial independence

Combined company expects $6 billion in savings from completed merger

Skydance chief executive David Ellison told reporters Tuesday that he has not politicized the newly formed media conglomerate, pledging that both CNN and CBS News would remain “completely editorially independent” following the closing of the Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery merger.

At a press briefing focused on the now-consummated deal, Ellison acknowledged a “good relationship” with the Trump administration, which began 20 months ago. He framed that relationship as part of a broader pattern of bipartisan engagement.

“I also had a really good relationship with President Biden. I have a good relationship with [Republican South Carolina senator] Tim Scott, and I have a good relationship with Governor Gavin Newsom,” Ellison said. “I think it is important to talk to everybody on both sides of the aisle … When you’re operating within a business-friendly administration, you should always have those relationships.”

“We want to speak to everybody,” Ellison added. “We do not want to politicize the company.”

Asked about his conversations with Trump about CNN — where Trump has been one of the network’s most prominent critics — Ellison did not directly address his communications with the president. But he said he wanted to clarify that “we have not talked to any political leader of any party about news, other than to say that we want to be in the truth business and we want to be in the trust business. And we believe in complete editorial independence.”

The remarks came amid concerns that Ellison might move CNN in a more rightward editorial direction. Ellison delivered the same message of editorial independence earlier in the day during a town hall meeting with company employees.

Ellison also endorsed the two leaders tapped to continue running the news networks he now controls: CNN chief executive Mark Thompson and CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. On Monday, Thompson told staffers in a memo that he would remain at the merged company, and Skydance confirmed that Weiss would stay in her role.

“We’re thrilled, obviously, with Mark,” Ellison said. “We’re thrilled with Bari.”

On the question of merging CBS News and CNN operations and any cuts, or “synergies,” that could result, Ellison said he and his leadership team would spend the next several months “basically getting under the hood on all of that.” Most of the $6 billion in expected savings from the merger would not come from job losses, he said.

Ellison was not asked at Tuesday’s briefing about Weiss’s performance as editorial leader of CBS News. When asked specifically about Weiss’s performance by a Guardian reporter in June, Ellison ignored the question.