It’s official. The $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance was completed Thursday, and the media giants will combine to create something like “new Paramount,” according to a press release from chairman and CEO David Ellison. But it was a long road to finally seal the deal and many people are concerned about the ways that Paramount capitulated to Donald Trump, going so far as to install a “truth arbiter” at CBS to make sure nobody is too mean to the president, as FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez is putting it.
“Today marks the final chapter of a dark moment in our nation’s history,” Gomez wrote on Bluesky. “After months of cowardly capitulation, including an unprecedented payout to settle a meritless lawsuit in exchange for regulatory approval, Paramount and Skydance have completed their merger, and ‘New Paramount’ will be created.”
Gomez, a Democrat who voted against the merger, wrote that the new company is “born in shame” because it was “trading away fundamental First Amendment principles in pursuit of pure profit.” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioner Olivia Trusty (both Republicans) voted in favor.
Gomez went on to write that the company has agreed to “never-before-seen forms of government control over newsroom decisions and editorial judgment-actions that violate both the First Amendment and the law. A government-sanctioned ‘truth arbiter’ will soon arrive at CBS.”
The Devil’s Bargain
As part of the deal, a so-called ombudsman is being installed at CBS to be a “bias monitor,” as Carr put it recently. Carr said the ombudsman would report any issues “directly to the president,” though it’s still unclear if he meant President Trump or the head of new Paramount. The written agreement says it will be the president of the new Paramount, but it’s still entirely possible that is not the Trump regime’s understanding of the issue. Trump has bragged about countless side deals after news breaks about a given institution’s capitulation.
For example, the CBS settlement with Trump was for $16 million, but Trump wrote on Truth Social that he’s gotten an extra $20 million in ads that support the president, according to Variety. It’s still not clear what that means either. But whatever is happening, it’s bad for journalism and the First Amendment, according to Gomez, who notes this new truth arbiter should be concerning to everyone.
“Their role will be to ensure that journalists at CBS do not criticize this Administration or express views that conflict with its agenda. That should alarm anyone who values the core democratic principle of a free and independent press,” Gomez wrote.
“All of this is being carried out under the guise of combating so-called ‘media bias,’ a term which, in practice, appears to encompass anything or anyone who disagrees with this Administration,” Gomez continued. “Never mind that those now feigning concern over media bias are the same individuals who have spent the past decade attacking the press and sowing public distrust in journalism. And even if such bias did exist to the extent they claim, the last entity the American people should entrust with defining or policing it is the federal government.”
Stephen Colbert Is Just the Beginning
Everything Gomez is saying would’ve been obvious to people before the second Trump era. You don’t want the federal government deciding what you can see and hear. But that’s exactly what’s happening as longtime 60 Minutes producer Bill Owens quit in April after threats to his journalistic independence. And CBS recently announced it was cancelling Stephen Colbert. The network denies Trump had anything to do with it, but it couldn’t have been clearer that he played a role. Trump has said the other late-night hosts, like Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, are next.
Gomez seems to think Trump will keep getting what he wants. “Sadly, this will not be the end of this Administration’s campaign of intervention in media to silence critics, gain favorable coverage, and impose ideological conformity on newsrooms that should remain independent,” Gomez wrote. “With longstanding institutions like CBS compromised in this way, it will be up to us—as citizens—to hold this Administration accountable for its abuses.”
Gomez finished her letter by urging others to “take notice and find their courage” while pledging to do her own job of calling out “cowardly corporate capitulation for what it is: a betrayal—not just of journalistic independence, but of the public trust.” But it’s not clear what the average person can do in an environment like this. Trump is steamrolling his way through the country, knocking down universities and media outlets as he enacts his far-right policies.
“Because if the First Amendment is to mean anything at all, it must mean that no government—regardless of party—gets to decide what is true, who gets heard, or which voices are silenced.”
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