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CBS Firings Called 'Straight From an Authoritarian Handbook' and Preview of Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger
The pending Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger "represents an existential threat to the free press, independent media, and free speech in this country and beyond," warned several press freedom groups.
Jun 02, 2026
A coalition of nine press freedom groups on Tuesday warned that last week's firings of top journalists at CBS News' "60 Minutes" were a "grotesque effort taken straight from an authoritarian handbook"—but emphasized that the dismissal of reporters who had pushed back against the Trump administration signaled danger for journalists across the media, particularly as a pending merger would hand control of CNN to the same billionaire family that how runs CBS.
The Coalition for Women in Journalism, Common Cause, Freedom of the Press Foundation, and Reporters Without Borders were among the groups that released a statement saying the firing of "60 Minutes" correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega—as well as two top executives—were meant to "appease a sitting president and dismantle one of the loudest voices in investigative journalism."
But the groups emphasized that "this is only the beginning," considering the fact that Warner Bros. Discovery recently voted in support of a $110 billion proposed merger with Paramount Skydance, owned by David Ellison, the son of President Donald Trump megadonor Larry Ellison. The deal could be finalized as soon as July.
Warner Bros. Discovery owns CNN, and media critics have warned the network could be headed for the same loss of editorial independence that CBS has faced since right-wing former opinion columnist took the helm of the latter network last year following the Paramount Skydance merger.
Since then, newly appointed editor-in-chief Bari Weiss has pulled from the air a "60 Minutes" segment that questioned the Trump administration's explanation for the deportation of hundreds of immigrants to an El Salvador prison, personally booked guests for news programs, and called for programming that appeals to "centrist" viewers.
"Bari Weiss’ shameless actions fulfill the Ellisons’ commitment to President Trump to remake CBS to his liking," said the groups on Tuesday. "Larry Ellison has reportedly promised to do the same at CNN if allowed to take control through the pending Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Not because it makes any business sense, but because they seek to control the public discourse."
"We have to make the story heard. It’s what '60 Minutes' would have done; it’s what the Fourth Estate is tasked with doing; it’s what Trump and the Ellisons want to prevent. Don’t let them.”
The groups noted that the firings of Alfonsi, Vega, executive producer Tanya Simon, and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich came as more than 200 journalists and documentarians signed an open letter opposing the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, citing concerns that the deal "would open the door to improper political meddling in journalists’ editorial decisions," and noting that according to The Wall Street Journal, David Ellison has "promised President Donald Trump 'sweeping changes' at Warner-owned CNN—a frequent target of Trump’s ire."
"Ellison will likely alter CNN’s editorial direction (not to mention meddle with HBO’s documentaries) to be more friendly to the administration, threatening press freedom," said the signatories, including Wajahat Ali, Mehdi Hasan, and Alfonsi.
A separate letter organized by Democracy Defenders Fund has garnered signatures from over 1,000 actors, producers, directors, screenwriters, and other entertainment professionals.
"This transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries—and the audiences we serve—can least afford it," reads the letter, which calls for state attorneys general to block the merger. "The result will be fewer opportunities for creators, fewer jobs across the production ecosystem, higher costs, and less choice for audiences in the United States and around the world. Alarmingly, this merger would reduce the number of major US film studios to just four."
On Tuesday, the press freedom groups warned that the merger "represents an existential threat to the free press, independent media, and free speech in this country and beyond, and should not be allowed to move forward."
"We cannot let this blow to the bedrock of our democracy be lost in the constant barrage of scandal, corruption, and abuse of power," said the organizations. "We have to make the story heard. It’s what '60 Minutes' would have done; it’s what the Fourth Estate is tasked with doing; it’s what Trump and the Ellisons want to prevent. Don’t let them.”
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'The Corruption Is in Plain Sight': Protesters Decry Ellison-Trump Dinner as Megamerger Looms
"Tonight’s dinner appears to be nothing more than a transparent bid to flatter the Trump administration into rubber-stamping David Ellison’s proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. merger."
Apr 24, 2026
A coalition of free speech organizations, progressive lawmakers, and antitrust advocates gathered outside the US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC on Thursday to protest a private dinner hosted inside the building by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, who is seeking regulatory approval from the Trump administration for a megamerger of his company and Warner Bros. Discovery.
The invite-only dinner was billed as an "intimate gathering in celebration of the First Amendment honoring the Trump White House"—which has waged war on press freedom—"and CBS White House correspondents." Norm Eisen, co-founder of Democracy Defenders Action, said during Thursday's protest that the dinner "resembles the First Amendment in the same way that a book burning is a celebration of the written word." President Donald Trump attended the dinner, which critics dubbed the "Paramount Corruption Gala."
Organizers of Thursday's demonstration warned that the proposed merger of Paramount and Warner Bros., the parent company of CNN, would be catastrophic for media and free expression. If the merger is approved, David Ellison—the son of Trump megadonor Larry Ellison—would control CBS, CNN, HBO, and other major media properties.
"Tonight’s dinner appears to be nothing more than a transparent bid to flatter the Trump administration into rubber-stamping David Ellison’s proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, which would be a disaster for American news media and media consumers," said Robert Weissman, co-president of the watchdog group Public Citizen. "This proposed acquisition perfectly illustrates the domino effect of corporate and wealth concentration: David Ellison is only positioned to propose this merger because his father, Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle, has become richer than any person should be allowed to be."
"This event should be an embarrassment to everyone involved," Weissman added, "including the attendees who have chosen to participate in this offensive charade."
Craig Aaron, co-CEO of the advocacy group Free Press, said that "no company should have this much media power, but especially not this company."
"We're here tonight to defend free speech. We're here tonight to defend press freedom," said Aaron. "We're here to stop government censorship. We're here to stop corruption and stop the Ellisons from trashing even more of our media."
Aaron called on those gathered to say it "loud so that state attorneys general" across the country can hear the message clearly.
"Stop the merger!" they shouted. "Stop the merger!"
Watch the full protest:
The dinner was held hours after Warner Bros. shareholders approved the proposed merger with Paramount, a company that just last summer received approval from the Trump administration to merge with Skydance—a decision that was widely viewed as corrupt. The proposed merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. has drawn vocal opposition from Hollywood actors, directors, and producers, who released an open letter earlier this month warning that the combination would "threaten the sustainability of the entire creative community."
Two members of Congress, Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Becca Balint (D-Vt.), spoke at Thursday's protest, decrying what they called Ellison and Trump's "corrupt merger scheme."
"We're here to say, 'Hell no,'" said Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. The Maryland lawmaker called Ellison's private event "a lavish oligarch’s dinner for Donald Trump."
Balint told protesters that as she spoke, Ellison was probably "raising a glass to his friend, his supporter, his patron, Donald Trump."
"That’s what they’re celebrating: power and corruption," said Balint. "And in this instance, the corruption is in plain sight."
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'Antitrust Disaster' Looms as Warner Bros. Shareholders Approve Paramount Megamerger
"This megamerger will diminish creativity and diversity in entertainment, weaken journalists' ability to expose wrongdoing and hold those in power accountable, and further endanger our democracy," warned one expert.
Apr 23, 2026
Less than a year after the controversial marriage of Paramount and Skydance, the combined media company cleared another hurdle to growing even bigger, with Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders on Thursday "overwhelmingly" backing a proposed merger—which sparked fresh criticism of the $110 billion deal.
"Today, Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders voted for their short-term financial gains, not for the public good," declared Free Press co-CEO Craig Aaron. "While shareholders voted against fat pay packages for departing executives—a symbolic rebuke, since the board doesn't have to listen to them—they've opened the door to wholesale layoffs across the news and entertainment industry, more propaganda in news coverage, higher prices for consumers and fewer choices for audiences across the United States and around the world."
"But shareholders don't get the final word," Aaron continued. "That's why we have antitrust enforcers and courts of law."
The Paramount-Warner Bros. deal must be approved by US and international regulators. In an apparent bid to ease that process, Paramount CEO David Ellison—son of billionaire Republican megadonor Larry Ellison—is holding what opponents have dubbed a "corruption gala" honoring President Donald Trump on Thursday.
"With Trump officials cheering on this deal, state attorneys general must investigate this massive industry consolidation and step in to stop Paramount's takeover," Aaron argued. "This megamerger will diminish creativity and diversity in entertainment, weaken journalists' ability to expose wrongdoing and hold those in power accountable, and further endanger our democracy. It also concentrates far too much media power in the hands of one company and one family, the Ellisons."
"This corrupt merger is far from a done deal," he stressed. "Just because Paramount shareholders won't take a stand against billionaire and White House control of the media, it doesn't mean we can't. While Paramount is flaunting its corruption and fêting Trump officials, we're standing with the workers and artists at the heart of the news and entertainment industries—and with the American public, which deserves more than an ever-shrinking circle of control over what they see, hear and read."
Potentially impacted workers are also speaking out. Last week, a group of Hollywood actors, directors, and producers published an open letter blasting the proposed merger. As the Los Angeles Times reported, during a Wednesday press briefing organized by Free Press and other critical groups, Michele Mulroney, president of the Writers Guild of America West, also sounded the alarm.
"This is already an incredibly consolidated industry where writers have seen merger after merger leave fewer and fewer companies in control of what our members can get paid to write," Mulroney said. "A combined Warner Bros. and Paramount would create a media behemoth with tremendous leverage to reduce content, to raise prices, to increase control of production, to suppress member compensation, worsen working conditions, and silence the voices of our members."
As New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared that "this merger should be stopped," Jane Fonda's Committee for the First Amendment led a rally outside Warner Bros.' Manhattan headquarters early Thursday. The group called the shareholder vote "a serious setback—for our industry, for the workers who sustain it, for consumers, and for the fundamental democratic values that depend on a diverse and independent media landscape."
"But this merger is not a done deal—and this fight is far from over," the committee emphasized. "We've seen time and again that sustained pressure works. Efforts to challenge consolidation, from the proposed Tegna-Nexstar Media Group deal to scrutiny of Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster, have demonstrated that coordinated legal, political, and public advocacy can change outcomes, especially when state attorneys general step in to protect the public interest."
"We will continue pressing forward on every front," the group pledged. "A handful of powerful decision-makers should not be allowed to quietly reshape American media, culture, and creative life without accountability. We will keep speaking out for the workers and artists at the heart of this industry, and for the public, which deserves more than an ever-shrinking circle of control over what they see, hear, and read. This fight continues. And we fully intend to win."
Later Thursday, the committee, Free Press, and other organizations—including Common Cause, MoveOn, and Public Citizen—are planning to protest Ellison's dinner for Trump at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC at 5:30 pm ET.
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