David Ellison backed CNN’s court fight with the Trump administration over White House access on the same day his company finished buying Warner Bros. Discovery. He said he supports the network’s effort and will not get involved in how CNN covers the news, according to a CNN report written by Brian Stelter and Andrew Kirell.
The comments came as Ellison, chief executive of Skydance, spoke with employees and later with reporters in Los Angeles. “We believe in editorial independence, and we will never interfere,” he said, repeating a pledge he made earlier this year while trying to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.
Warner and Paramount officially combined on Tuesday morning. Ellison used a town hall to introduce the joined business, which is called Skydance. He then answered questions at an afternoon press conference.
Ellison lays out plans for CNN, CBS News, and the combined company
A reporter asked how Skydance would respond to people who fought the merger. Ellison said, “We’re going to make sure that CNN and CBS News are completely editorially independent. We’re going to build a streaming service that can compete with anybody. And I think that when we actually follow through on all of those promises, I believe it will rebuild trust.”
He also described spending on movies, television, and new technology. Speaking to staff, he said, “For the first time, we have the studios, the franchises, the libraries, the talent and scale all under one roof to compete with anyone in the world.” He did not name rivals. The account of his remarks said he was pointing to companies such as Google, Netflix, and Disney.
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper questioned Ellison at the town hall about worries inside the network over the new owner. Ellison said, “I believe deeply in journalism,” and described the work of CBS News and CNN as “a vital part of our democracy.”
On the subject of shared facts, Ellison said, “You go back to what President Obama said during the pandemic. He said a republic that can’t agree on the same set of facts can’t function, and I think he was 100% right about that.” He added that in news, “we want to actually help scale and transition the business digitally.”
Ellison said Skydance wants to expand CNN’s digital side and reach audiences in more countries. The company estimates that the combined business already reaches more than 200 million streaming subscribers. He said the new company “can create an even bigger platform for the best journalism in the world.”
Those pledges landed against a backdrop of concern inside CNN about the Ellison family’s links to President Donald Trump. The president’s posture toward the network has drawn scrutiny, as when a Fox News correspondent asked him to lift a ban on CNN and Politico reporters, arguing it violates the First Amendment. Last fall, Trump called Ellison and his father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, “friends of mine” and “big supporters of mine.” In December, Trump said “it’s imperative that CNN be sold” to new owners.
On Tuesday afternoon, Trump was asked about the finished deal. He said, “It’s going to be a great company. They’re terrific people, and it’s going to be a great company.”
Cooper pressed Ellison on a First Amendment lawsuit brought by CNN, MS NOW, and Politico after Trump recently tried to bar the three outlets from the White House. The dispute over press access has escalated into litigation, as when Trump banned three news outlets from the White House, and they sued the administration, citing a First Amendment violation.
“Do you stand with CNN and our effort to completely restore access to covering President Trump?” Cooper asked. Ellison replied, “Of course.” The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning.
CNN chairman and editor-in-chief Mark Thompson and CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss were both at the town hall. For now, the two newsrooms are still running on their own. At the press conference, Ellison said, “We’re thrilled, obviously, with Mark. We’re thrilled with Bari.”
A reporter also asked about Ellison’s ties to Trump. He answered, “We have a good relationship with this administration. I also had a really good relationship with President Biden. I have a good relationship with Senator Tim Scott, and I have a good relationship with Governor Gavin Newsom. I think it is important to talk to everybody, on both sides of the aisle.”
He went on, “We want to speak to everybody. We do not want to politicize the company.” Looking back at meetings during the review of the deal, he said, “We were in a transaction review process. But with that said, we are now turning that page.”
Cooper raised the possibility that CBS News and CNN could later be pulled closer together. “If Paramount and Warner Brothers are now cousins, and CBS News and CNN are cousins, when does somebody start to ask them to share organs?” he asked. Ellison said, “It’s day one.” He said he plans to bring the relevant business leaders “into the decision-making” now that the purchase is done. Integration choices at companies like this begin “within usually 120 days,” he said, “but I think it’s foolish to try to say I’m going to show up with every single answer today.”
Published: Oct 7, 2026 07:00 am