The seemingly settled saga of the merger between Skydance Media and the struggling media giant Paramount has taken a surprising political turn. The new leadership of the combined company, led by David Ellison, has announced the acquisition of the digital platform The Free Press.
In U.S. media circles, The Free Press has earned a strong reputation as a conservative, Republican-aligned platform. Its leader, journalist Bari Weiss, has been out of the mainstream media spotlight for several years. With this maneuver, Weiss not only returns to the world of big media but is also set to become the new Editor-in-Chief of CBS News, a major property within the merged entity.
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A Calculated Political Alignment
Weiss's leap - effectively from the periphery to the executive suite - is seen as highly characteristic of David Ellison's new leadership strategy. Ellison appears to be strategically surrounding himself with verified Trump-aligned figures, suggesting a deliberate move to cultivate a more favorable political environment for the new media behemoth.
This move is widely interpreted as a way to preemptively avoid regulatory or legal friction from Washington, particularly from conservative political figures. Memories are still fresh of the intense scrutiny the deal faced, including a significant multi-million dollar lawsuit directed at CBS by President Donald Trump's allies, which nearly derailed the acquisition entirely.
By integrating prominent conservative voices and platforms into the core of its news operations, the new Paramount-Skydance entity may be signaling a tacit truce with the White House and conservative media power brokers. The message is clear: the news agenda is now being carefully managed to ensure fewer political surprises.
