The Power Struggle For CNN Reveals The Extent to Which Flawed US Journalism Truly Is.

This past Thursday night, as rumors swirled about an incident at Brown University, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins took to social media, highlighting the uncertainty and guiding the public to her network’s 9pm newscast.

Even though CNN is certainly not a perfect news source, her words resonated for a lot of people. It is one of the broadcasters where one can locate reality-based and generally dependable reporting – notably during crises like the one unfolding near a New Hampshire storage facility.

A Precarious Position Amid a High-Stakes Battle

But the news network, now middle-aged, finds itself in a uncertain state as two giant media corporations compete for ownership of its parent company, Warner Bros Discovery.

No matter the result, the future of CNN has been drawn into a major game of mergers and acquisitions, not as a question of what benefits the information-seeking public.

“Here is one more case of the deep structural problems with roots in many years of policy decisions,” noted Victor Pickard, writer of “Democracy Without Journalism?” and a professor of media policy at the Pennsylvania University.

The speculation about which company will control Warner Bros Discovery – will it be Netflix or Paramount Skydance? – overlooks a broader point.

“It is often framed as a financial tale with powerful individuals as the main characters, but there is hardly any discussion of the common good,” Pickard said.

A Further Layer: The Former President

The CNN scenario is complicated by Donald Trump’s views about a network he has consistently labeled as perhaps his chief “fake news” adversary.

Remember the chants of “CNN sucks!” at his rallies, his administration’s punitive revocation of reporter Jim Acosta’s press credentials, or his tense exchanges with Collins in official meetings.

Trump now asserts that CNN needs new ownership. Many see this as a desire for ownership that will shield him from negative coverage and examination. That is one reason why he seems to come down on the side of Paramount Skydance, which has made a hostile bid.

He has grounds to like that company more. For one thing, it is led by David Ellison, son of the pro-Trump Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people.

Paramount, parent of CBS News, also recently installed the right-leaning Bari Weiss, famous for her “anti-woke” beliefs, as the top editor of that historic news network.

An Outcome of Continued Instability

It is important to note, if Netflix wins, CNN and other cable outlets would first be carved out into a standalone company. This might be a welcome development to many at the network, but it’s hardly a secure position. That arrangement could position CNN for another sale. The cycle continues.

If you ask Timothy Wu, much of this is against the law, anyway. The prominent critic of big tech’s dominance wrote recently that anti-trust laws should disallow both deals.

“Each proposed deal would be harmful to the country, and both should be opposed by anti-trust authorities,” Wu recently wrote.

The Core Issue and a Way Ahead

Whatever happens with this particular battle, the underlying crisis remains.

“The present media landscape is a profoundly system hostile to democracy, but we shouldn’t give in to a sense of powerlessness,” Pickard noted. Government actions – dating back to the 1930s and 1940s – helped to build this hyper-commercialized monster, and new policy decisions can address it.

Is this likely in an era where the Federal Communications Commission chair won’t even affirm that the agency is independent? Reform is a distant prospect now, but that doesn’t mean it will not happen in the future.

Initiatives that support independent news organizations, aid local journalism, subsidize public media, and prohibit the consolidation of media power in too few hands are not only possible – they are vital for a robust democracy.

When it comes to media ownership, bigger isn’t better. And news organizations including CNN cannot be pieces in the newest acquisition battle.