{"id":2574983,"date":"2026-03-01T20:58:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T01:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-blames-trump-as-looming-mega-sale-has-staffers-freaking-out\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T21:00:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T02:00:23","slug":"cnn-blames-trump-as-looming-mega-sale-has-staffers-freaking-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-blames-trump-as-looming-mega-sale-has-staffers-freaking-out\/","title":{"rendered":"CNN Blames Trump as Looming Mega Sale Has Staffers &#8216;Freaking Out&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcnn-blames-trump-as-looming-mega-sale-has-staffers-freaking-out%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2574983&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece argues that CNN\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/young-canadians-voted-against-spending-orgy-their-elders-won\/\" title=\"Young Canadians Voted Against Spending Orgy\u2014Their Elders Won\">problems run deeper<\/a> than political meddling or market turbulence, pointing to a credibility and trust crisis that has driven down its ratings. it uses the reported mega-sale of Warner Bros. Finding to Paramount Skydance as a backdrop for broader concerns about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hamas-awards-al-jazeera-for-great-coverage-of-latest-war-with-israel\/\" title=\"Hamas Awards Al Jazeera for \u2018Great\u2019 Coverage of Latest War With Israel\">editorial independence<\/a> and the network\u2019s future direction. The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >article notes internal anxiety<\/a> among CNN staff and coverage about the deal, including comments from Brian Stelter and reporting in Politico and the New York Post about leadership and influence. It criticizes CNN for adopting a posture of self-justification and suggests that a focus on accountability\u2014rather than accusations of political interference\u2014coudl help the network rebuild public trust. The author contends that trust is foundational to journalism,and without addressing it,corporate shake-ups will continue to feel like existential threats.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A serious news organization would take a look at slumping ratings, public disfavor, and the perpetual ire of the president, and decide to do some serious introspection on what it could be doing better.<\/p>\n<p>Heck, any serious group would engage with that self-reflection, given how important accountability is.<\/p>\n<p>Alas, CNN is not a serious news organization.<\/p>\n<p>The beleaguered news outlet is making a public fuss about the pending mega sale of Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN&rsquo;s parent company) to Paramount Skydance for a cool $110 billion, following Netflix&rsquo;s withdrawal from the bidding.<\/p>\n<p>Many within CNN are concerned about what this could mean for the progressive news network, whose only conservative of any note appears to be Scott Jennings.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>They&rsquo;re so worried, that CNN actually pushed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/02\/27\/media\/cnn-paramount-ellison-bari-weiss-wbd-merger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a whole article<\/a> out whining about how it didn&rsquo;t want to go the way of CBS News, which has slanted more moderate under new head honcho Bari Weiss.<\/p>\n<p>The outlet&rsquo;s resident media watch guy, Brian Stelter, wrote: &ldquo;Viewers and readers of CNN might be wondering the same thing that CNN employees are asking right now: What will Paramount&rsquo;s ownership mean?<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Answers are in short supply.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Stelter continued: &ldquo;But CNN employees and viewers have serious concerns about whether Paramount CEO David Ellison will uphold the news network&rsquo;s editorial independence amid severe political turbulence.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Ellison is a close associate of President Donald Trump (Ellison&rsquo;s father, Larry, is &ldquo;a close ally&rdquo; to the president, as CNN puts it), and the prevailing outcry in Hollywood is that Trump helped influence this deal, as reported on by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/02\/27\/horrifying-hollywood-blasts-trumps-role-in-studio-sale-00802771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Politico<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Unequivocally, yes, it will set a bad precedent for Hollywood,&rdquo; Assemblymember Nick Schultz, a California Democrat, told the outlet. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have a bone to pick with Paramount per se &mdash; my concern remains the influence of the Trump administration.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>And the whining and finger-pointing at Trump kept on coming &mdash; including from Stelter and CNN.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;President Donald Trump, after all, has long sought to weaken CNN, and he viewed the recent bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery as another way to exert control,&rdquo; Stelter wrote. &ldquo;&lsquo;It&rsquo;s imperative that CNN be sold,&rsquo; Trump said last December, signaling he favored Paramount&rsquo;s takeover proposal.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>All this public tantrum does is help reinforce a less-than-flattering report from the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/27\/media\/cnn-staffers-in-a-panic-over-paramount-takeover-whats-likely-in-store-for-cable-news-giant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a> from earlier in the day.<\/p>\n<p>The outlet&rsquo;s Charles Gasparino reports that CNN staffers are &ldquo;freaking out&rdquo; about the potential fallout from this mega deal. In fact, things were so chaotic behind the scenes, the New York Post reports that CNN president Mark Thompson had to send a memo out to calm some frayed nerves.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Despite all the speculation you&rsquo;ve read during this process, I&rsquo;d suggest that you don&rsquo;t jump to conclusions about the future until we know more,&rdquo; Thompson wrote. &ldquo;And secondly let&rsquo;s not forget our duty to our audience.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re still near the start of what is already an incredibly newsy year at home and abroad, one that will culminate with critical U.S. midterm elections and who knows what else.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s a thought CNN might try before sounding the alarm about political influence: look in the mirror. Ratings didn&rsquo;t crater because of a hostile takeover fantasy; they slid because viewers lost trust. It&rsquo;s not sinister for corporate brass to reassess an underperforming asset &mdash; and whatever changes that may entail.<\/p>\n<p>No, it would be simplistic to argue that if CNN had squeezed out a few more demo points, Warner Bros. Discovery wouldn&rsquo;t have entertained a blockbuster sale. But a network that was thriving &mdash; culturally influential, broadly trusted, financially strong &mdash; would be viewed as a crown jewel worth protecting at all costs.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, CNN too often looks like an expensive headache, weighed down by self-inflicted credibility wounds and a brand identity crisis of its own making.<\/p>\n<p>If the newsroom spent half as much energy rebuilding public trust as it does speculating about political meddling, it might rediscover what made it formidable in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>Accountability isn&rsquo;t a threat to journalism; it&rsquo;s the foundation of it. Until CNN grapples honestly with why so many Americans tuned out, every corporate tremor will feel like an existential quake &mdash; and every shake-up will look less like sabotage and more like overdue course correction.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A responsible news organization would pause to examine sagging ratings, public criticism, and the president\u2019s ongoing ire, and would seriously ask how it could do better. In other words, any group that valued accountability would engage in that self-scrutiny. But CNN isn\u2019t behaving as a serious news outlet. The piece portrays CNN as openly fretting over the blockbuster sale of Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN\u2019s parent) to Paramount Skydance for about $110 billion after Netflix dropped out, with many at CNN worried about what the deal could mean for a network many see as liberal, where the notable conservative voice is Scott Jennings.<\/p>\n<p>The article notes that CNN\u2019s coverage has included a defensive pushback against the deal, including claims about potential threats to editorial independence if Paramount owns CNN and ties to President Trump. It cites Trump\u2019s supporters in Hollywood and reports from Politico and the New York Post about concern that the deal could be influenced by Trump allies. The piece also mentions a memo from CNN president Mark Thompson intended to calm nerves and remind staff of their duty to the audience, urging caution about drawing conclusions until more is known.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the piece argues that the bigger problem isn\u2019t a hostile takeover but eroding public trust. It suggests that a network once thriving\u2014trusted, influential, financially solid\u2014could be worth protecting, but now looks burdened by credibility issues and an identity crisis of its own making. If CNN redirected as much energy toward rebuilding public trust as it does toward worrying about political meddling, it might rediscover what made it powerful. Accountability, the author contends, is not a threat to journalism but its foundation; until CNN sincerely addresses why many Americans stopped tuning in, every shake-up will feel like an existential threat rather than overdue course correction.<\/p>\n<p>Note: The excerpt also contains embedded code, form fields, and site scripts, which are not part of the paraphrased narrative<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2574984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Michael-Featured-Image-745.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[50623,74847,74846,9040,3634],"class_list":["post-2574983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cnn-2","tag-freakingout","tag-megasale","tag-staffers","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Michael-Featured-Image-745.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2574983"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2574987,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574983\/revisions\/2574987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2574984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2574983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2574983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2574983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}