Top of the Ticker: Paramount Skydance’s CEO David Ellison took to The New York Times to write an op-ed, where he claimed the lawsuits brought on by the state attorneys general and Writers Guild about the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger have nothing to do with it violating antitrust law, but everything to do with him owning CNN.
In the op-ed, Ellison writes that newsrooms such as those at CNN and CBS News should reflect the “whole world, not one side of it,” and that he will maintain CNN’s independence. He added, “Our journalists will continue to answer to the facts and to all the people they serve–not to any party or cause.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a social media statement in response to Ellison’s op-ed that he will continue to make their case in court and that he remained “committed to protecting competition, defending affordability, and ensuring California’s economy works for everyone—not just the largest corporations.”
All this is happening as a trial date of March 2, 2027, was set by Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín. Paramount was hoping for a trial date that would take place this year, preferably in November, but with this news and how far out the trial has been set, the media conglomerate will incur around $650 million in ticking fees per quarter starting Oct. 1 until the deal is finalized.
Back at the ranch: Meanwhile at CBS News, correspondent Trevor Phillips, the network’s newest correspondent, made some surprising comments about editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. Phillips, in an interview with The Telegraph, said Weiss, who is remaking the network, is “one of those people who will either change the world or crash and burn. But when they crash and burn, it’s in technicolor.”
In an effort to separate itself from its timeslot peers, CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil has introduced a new feature to the newscast, The Big Question, which focuses on frank discussions tied to the news of the day. According to Variety, Dokoupil said these segments feel authentic and “like a person is just talking to you about the day’s events.”
The Columbia Journalism Review recently profiled CBS News president and executive editor Tom Cibrowski, whose job responsibilities have rapidly evolved since he returned to the network in March 2025.
Finally, former 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley is scheduled to receive the 2026 Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism during the organization’s Bowtie Ball, scheduled to take place on Saturday, Nov. 14. Pelley is being honored for his courage, integrity and commitment to independent journalism, which has defined his five-decade career.
