David Ellison reassures skittish Anderson Cooper over CNNs independence in town hall: We will never interfere

Skydance CEO David Ellison reassured a nervous Anderson Cooper that CNN will retain its editorial independence in the wake of the blockbuster Paramount-Warner Bros.Discovery merger.Cooper interviewed Ellison and his new co-CEO Ynon Kriez about life under the newborn media behemoth at a Los Angeles town hall in front of CNN staff.“I want to start with a smaller part of this company, but it’s going to cause you headaches: news,” Cooper shakily said to laughter, according to leaked audio of the sit-down.

“Asking for a friend — or frenemies, I’m not sure.”Cooper went on to lay out criticism from some observers, who have slammed CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss’ handling of the network — which was already owned by Paramount before the merger — along with the Ellison family’s Trump ties and War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent call for the exec to overhaul CNN.“Are there changes you want to see in coverage at CNN, are there lessons you do or don’t want to apply from CBS News?” Cooper asked.“I believe deeply in journalism,” Ellison replied.“In the world we live in today, having truth-based, fact-based, bi-partisan news that informs the public has never been more important.”The exec added that both CBS News and CNN’s work is “vital to democracy” and that he supports it — while planning “to scale and transition the business digitally.”Earlier Tuesday, Ellison and Kreiz reportedly gestured at layoffs in a memo to employees.“Integrating two companies will bring change, including difficult decisions that affect our workforce.

We are committed to handling this process thoughtfully and respectfully,”  they wrote, according to Variety, though they did not detail any such plans at the town hall.“As it relates to editorial, we believe in complete and total editorial independence,” Ellison said during the sitdown.“We trust Mark, we trust the team,” he added, referring to CNN boss Mark Thompson, who will continue to le...