Top CNN star to leave network ahead of Paramount takeover and possible Bari Weiss leadership
The Independent • • entertainment
Key Points:
- CNN’s Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid plans to leave the network ahead of Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, citing uncertainty about the network’s future amid the merger.
- Reid, whose contract was expiring this summer, declined a renewal offer and has not disclosed any new employment plans; she joined CNN in 2021 after working at CBS News.
- The DOJ’s Antitrust Division approved the Paramount acquisition last month, stating it poses no competitive threat, though several states are preparing to sue to block the deal.
- The merger will place CBS and CNN under the same ownership, raising concerns among CNN staff due to CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss’s controversial tenure marked by significant staff changes and accusations of ideological bias.
- Paramount CEO David Ellison has assured that CNN’s editorial independence will be maintained post-merger, emphasizing a commitment to appealing to a broad American audience.
