CNN staff fear Bari Weiss oversight after merger

As a $111 billion merger between Paramount-Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery nears completion, anxiety is mounting within CNN's newsroom over potential leadership changes and a shift in editorial direction under new ownership. The deal, which could be finalized as soon as July, would place CNN under the same corporate umbrella as CBS News, controlled by tech heir David Ellison.

CNN employees have expressed significant concerns, particularly regarding the possibility that Ellison may install CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss in an oversight role at the cable network. Weiss’s tenure at CBS, which began in October 2025, has been marked by internal strife, including the high-profile firing of veteran "60 Minutes" presenter Scott Pelley and accusations from some staff that she is steering coverage toward a more conservative viewpoint, which she has denied. CNN’s on-air talent have reportedly been visiting the office of executive Amy Entelis to voice their anxieties about the looming changes.

A central point of tension involves CNN’s biggest star, Anderson Cooper. According to reports, Cooper has told colleagues he does not want to work under Weiss. Cooper previously worked as a...