CNN Staffers 'Panicked' and 'Freaking Out' Over Trump Ally's Son Buying Parent Company: He'll Clean House
Words liked “panicked,” apoplectic” and “freaking out” are being tossed around to summarize the reaction of CNN staffers as they realize the media giant Paramount Skydance will be buying Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company.
The reason? The new owners want “a more politically centrist approach to news,” according to the New York Post.
Paramount Skydance took over CBS last year, prompting screams of outrage as the network was dragged, kicking and screaming, towards the political center.
CNN President Mark Thompson sent out a memo Thursday urging staffers to see what the future holds before hitting the panic button.
“The panic at CNN right now is off the charts” pic.twitter.com/W9wS7gWmHB
— il Donaldo Trumpo (@PapiTrumpo) February 27, 2026
“Despite all the speculation you’ve read during this process, I’d suggest that you don’t jump to conclusions about the future until we know more,” Thompson wrote.
One major reason for the panic is the heritage of Paramount CEO David Ellison. He’s the son of Larry Ellison, the founder of the computer giant Oracle and one of the biggest figures in Silicon Valley who are known as allies of President Donald Trump.
New York Post columnist Charles Gasparino wrote that, “On one hand, viewers can expect a more Trump-friendly CNN now that it will be owned by the media conglomerate known as PSKY, run by indie producer David Ellison in a deal financed by his dad, the long-time Trump supporting Oracle co-founder, Larry Ellison, people close to the company say.”
His sources told him they “expect a centrist CNN to emerge from their $80.5 billion purchase.”
Gasparino quoted a Paramount Sydance source as telling him, “Yes, I know people are scared, but we’re looking to produce a news product that appeals to 70 percent of the country that is either center left or center right. Why be scared of that?”
The U.K.’s Guardian, an outlet with pronounced liberal leanings, noted that insiders are expecting the worst.
“A Paramount-WBD merger is a disaster for the people who work at both companies, and if Bari Weiss takes control of CNN, it will be the end of the global network Ted Turner founded,” one concerned CNN producer said.
Weiss took over CBS News after the Paramount Skydance takeover, making waves with decisions that angered liberal journalists.
🚨 🚨 🚨 BREAKING: Paramount is taking over ALL of Warner Brothers as Netflix just dropped out.
What does this mean?
CNN WILL NOW BE OWNED BY LARRY ELLISON & TEAM, THE SAME GROUP THAT PURCHASED @TheFP AND WHICH HAS PIVOTED CBS TO THE CENTER!
🎉 🙌 🥳 pic.twitter.com/hOQ3Yy3kTk
— Houman David Hemmati, MD, PhD (@houmanhemmati) February 26, 2026
“I don’t think that’s hyperbolic,” the insider told the Guardian.
When Fox News sampled the temper of its rival, it found fretting and fears.
“The mood is horrific,” a CNN insider told Fox. “People are very upset.”
If CNN kept the “news” neutral, there would be no panic
If they hadn’t turned away so many viewers with their one sided takes they would be fine
They haven’t done that, so now it’s Scott Jennings turn to take the reins pic.twitter.com/W6JY6TkH4O
— SovereignTBag (@SovereignTBag) February 27, 2026
A second CNN source said the network is “a mix of despair, apprehension and curiosity.”
“Look, I think this is a place that has gone through a lot. A lot of mergers in the past decade. A lot of ‘fresh’ starts,” the insider told Fox.
“I think there is an underlying fear of mixing two news divisions,” the source said, referring to CNN and CBS, which will be owned by the same company. “Who is gonna get canned?”
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