Larry Ellison Accused of Promising Trump to Fire CNN Anchors
Mediaite • • business
Key Points:
- Two press freedom groups, Freedom of the Press Foundation and Reporters Without Borders, accuse Larry Ellison of promising favors to the Trump administration to secure regulatory approval for his bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's parent company.
- The alleged favors include making significant staff changes at CNN, a network frequently criticized by President Trump as "fake news."
- The groups, who own shares in Paramount Skydance, have requested access to internal documents under Delaware law, citing concerns over potential corrupt exchanges and breaches of fiduciary duty.
- Last summer, the Trump administration approved the Ellison family's acquisition of Paramount, which includes CBS, where editorial changes under Bari Weiss have drawn criticism for pandering to Trump.
- Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders recently approved the merger, which would be the largest Hollywood deal in nearly a decade, offering Warner stockholders $31 per share, significantly higher than a year ago.
