{"id":2640381,"date":"2026-08-04T14:44:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T18:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigndavid-ellison-wants-independence-for-cnn-hell-have-to-tear-it-down-and-start-over\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T14:46:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T18:46:27","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigndavid-ellison-wants-independence-for-cnn-hell-have-to-tear-it-down-and-start-over","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigndavid-ellison-wants-independence-for-cnn-hell-have-to-tear-it-down-and-start-over\/","title":{"rendered":"Ellison Wants &#8216;Independence&#8217; For CNN. He&#8217;ll Have To Start Over"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/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%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigndavid-ellison-wants-independence-for-cnn-hell-have-to-tear-it-down-and-start-over%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=2640381&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 <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >article discusses recent developments indicating potential upheaval<\/a> at CNN, reflecting a broader decline in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/protesters-clash-with-cops-threaten-to-burn-dc-during-black-lives-matter-march\/\" title=\"Protesters Clash With Cops, Threaten To \u2018Burn... DC During \u2018Black Lives Matter... March\">legacy media outlets<\/a> like CBS. It highlights that David Ellison, chairman of Paramount Skydance and an associate of former President Trump, is involved in legal battles over his merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN. ellison criticizes efforts by democratic-led lawsuits aimed at blocking the merger, suggesting these are politically motivated to prevent him from taking control of CNN.<\/p>\n<p>Ellison emphasizes the importance of independence in newsrooms, advocating for reflecting diverse perspectives and prioritizing facts over partisan loyalty. However,the article argues that CNN is deeply intertwined with the Democratic Party and Washington bureaucracy,making true independence unlikely without complete overhaul. The author suggests that the only way CNN can achieve genuine objectivity is through drastic restructuring, including personnel changes.<\/p>\n<p>the piece portrays Ellison as someone who plans to challenge the current narrative-heavy journalism, proposing meaningful reforms to restore journalistic integrity.  <\/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<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=r75uumFxKBo\" target=\"_blank\">CNN\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/04\/david-ellison-wants-independence-for-cnn-hell-have-to-tear-it-down-and-start-over\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=David Ellison Wants \u2018Independence\u2019 For CNN. He\u2019ll Have To Tear It Down And Start Over&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/04\/david-ellison-wants-independence-for-cnn-hell-have-to-tear-it-down-and-start-over\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=David Ellison Wants \u2018Independence\u2019 For CNN. He\u2019ll Have To Tear It Down And Start Over&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/04\/david-ellison-wants-independence-for-cnn-hell-have-to-tear-it-down-and-start-over\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/04\/david-ellison-wants-independence-for-cnn-hell-have-to-tear-it-down-and-start-over\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=David Ellison Wants \u2018Independence\u2019 For CNN. He\u2019ll Have To Tear It Down And Start Over&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/04\/david-ellison-wants-independence-for-cnn-hell-have-to-tear-it-down-and-start-over\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\">                     <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); pfTrackEvent(&#039;David Ellison Wants \u2018Independence\u2019 For CNN. He\u2019ll Have To Tear It Down And Start Over&#039;); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\">                     <span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span>                     <\/a>                 <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"pf-content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whenever I\u2019m feeling a little down about the way some things are going in 2026, I like to remember that a bunch of malicious content creators recently lost their jobs in an <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/09\/scott-pelleys-hysteria-is-a-good-sign-that-the-legacy-media-continue-to-die-a-painful-death\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/09\/scott-pelleys-hysteria-is-a-good-sign-that-the-legacy-media-continue-to-die-a-painful-death\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">overhaul at CBS<\/a> and that the same thing is on the verge of happening at CNN. Perks me right up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">David Ellison, the Paramount Skydance chairman and loose associate of President Trump, is currently tied up in litigation after 12 states, whose attorneys general are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stateside.com\/state-resource\/attorneys-general?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.stateside.com\/state-resource\/attorneys-general?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">all Democrats<\/a>, sued to block his company\u2019s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN. In an op-ed for The New York Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/08\/04\/opinion\/david-ellison-paramount-warner-deal.html\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/08\/04\/opinion\/david-ellison-paramount-warner-deal.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">on Tuesday<\/a>, Ellison called the collective lawsuit what it is: a move to keep him away from one of the Democrat Party\u2019s most precious institutions \u2014\u00a0CNN.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2579074525\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe issue is whether I can be trusted as a steward of Warner\u2019s CNN,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThere has been speculation about my politics, my loyalties, my intentions.\u201d That\u2019s a nice way of putting it. What Ellison means is that Democrats and members of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/somebody-tell-susan-glasser-to-sit-back-and-relax-this-time\/\" title=\"Somebody Tell Susan Glasser To Sit Back And Relax This Time\">dying news media<\/a> (also Democrats) have been furious with his conduct so far overseeing CBS \u2014\u00a0a company he took in a separate merger last year \u2014\u00a0and are terrified he will behave similarly when he overtakes CNN.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recall that Ellison\u2019s most remarkable change at CBS to date was to switch out some leadership in its news division in hopes of blunting the bleeding of its audience, something almost every traditional news operation, whether TV or print, is experiencing. He put journalist Bari Weiss in charge, and she did the unthinkable \u2014\u00a0she took an interest in the work her employees were producing and challenged them to approach their journalistic political endeavors with curiosity and fairness rather than a deep-seated hatred for Republicans and Trump supporters. That some longtime correspondents, producers, and executives left or made the poor choice to publicly undermine their bosses, resulting in their termination, was a consequence of their own doing, not of Ellison\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ellison went on in his op-ed to say newsrooms like CNN and CBS should \u201creflect the whole world, not one side of it,\u201d something that \u201crequires independence.\u201d He also said staffers at both should expect to \u201ccontinue to answer to the facts and to all the people they serve \u2014 not to any party or cause.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s a nice sentiment, but surely Ellison knows that CNN is anything but independent. That his op-ed comes after Dr. Anthony Fauci\u2019s diary entries just became public, revealing the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/27\/here-are-all-the-media-hacks-who-got-shoutouts-in-faucis-diary-for-giving-him-tongue-baths\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/27\/here-are-all-the-media-hacks-who-got-shoutouts-in-faucis-diary-for-giving-him-tongue-baths\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">exact opposite<\/a>, should even be a little embarrassing for anyone who might openly state such a thing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No, the people at CNN are very much in bed with the permanent Washington bureaucracy and the Democrat Party, which exists first and foremost to defend that bureaucracy. If Ellison sincerely believes that should no longer be true, \u201cindependence\u201d is the last thing CNN needs. What it needs is to be torn down, top to bottom and \u2014 just like at CBS \u2014 given a new directive by someone who cares to see it through. A lot of people will have to be fired, and a lot of people will leave on their own.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s the only way CNN can be what Ellison claims he wants it to be. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Eddie Scarry is the D.C. columnist at The Federalist and author of &#8220;<a href=\"\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0FR8XCMYC\">Traitors: The Democrat Party\u2019s Collapse into Anti-American Filth<\/a>.&#8221;<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Eddie Scarry<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/eScarry\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@eScarry<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/eddiescarry\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags no-print bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/60-minutes\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">60 Minutes<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/anthony-fauci\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Anthony Fauci<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/cbs\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">CBS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/cnn\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">CNN<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/david-ellison\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">David Ellison<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/democrat-party\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Democrat Party<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/media-bias\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">media bias<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/paramount-skydance\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Paramount Skydance<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/warner-bros-discovery\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Warner Bros. Discovery<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Remembering recent job losses at CBS and CNN cheers me up<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":493,"featured_media":2640382,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Jake-Tapper.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[50623,9224,5157,50402,4188],"class_list":["post-2640381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-cnn-2","tag-independence","tag-journalism","tag-leadership-2","tag-media"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Jake-Tapper.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640381","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\/493"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2640381"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640381\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2640386,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640381\/revisions\/2640386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2640382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2640381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2640381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2640381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}