# CNN Staffers Fear 'Bloodbath' as Trump-Linked Ellisons Take Over

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/cnn-staffers-fear-bloodbath-as-trump-linked-ellisons-take-over
- Published: 2026-09-25T01:12:17.529504+00:00
- Topics: media, cnn, paramount-merger, warner-bros-discovery, media-consolidation

## What the left says
- The merger consolidates enormous media power in the hands of a family with direct financial and personal ties to Trump, raising legitimate concerns about editorial independence at a network built on adversarial political journalism.
- Staff anxiety reflects real precedent: Bari Weiss's overhaul at CBS News, including the removal of veteran 60 Minutes correspondents, suggests newsroom culture and standards could be reshaped from above rather than organically.
- The prospect of Elon Musk taking an investment stake compounds fears that the network could be steered by figures openly hostile to its journalists and its historic mission.
- Thousands of jobs are reportedly at stake as Paramount pursues billions in cost savings, meaning the fear inside CNN is about livelihoods and journalistic mission alike, not just politics.

## What the right says
- A legacy network long accused of partisan slant losing its insulated status and facing new ownership scrutiny is a natural business and accountability development, not a scandal.
- CNN staffers' panic says more about their own assumptions and discomfort with any perceived rightward influence than about any documented editorial interference having occurred.
- Ownership changes, cost-cutting, and leadership shakeups are common in media mergers and reflect standard business consolidation rather than a targeted political takeover.
- The framing of the Ellison family's ties to Trump as sinister ignores that media ownership by politically connected or wealthy individuals is not new and has existed across the ideological spectrum for decades.

## Common ground
- Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery has cleared its major regulatory hurdles and is moving forward.
- David Ellison and his father Larry Ellison have documented personal and financial ties to President Trump.
- The merger is expected to bring significant cost-cutting, including potential layoffs, across CNN and CBS News.
- CNN employees have expressed genuine anxiety and uncertainty about the network's future leadership and direction.

## Sources
- [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-09-23-0700/media-industry-cnn-mood-funeral-paramounts-warner-bros-win-casts-new-haze-next-steps) (Center)
- [Breitbart](https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/09/23/cnn-staffers-panic-over-paramount-merger-bloodbath-coming-newsroom-is-like-a-funeral/) (Right)
- [PJ Media](https://pjmedia.com/videos/2026/09/24/cnns-meltdown-didnt-stop-while-the-trump-white-house-wouldnt-let-them-in-n4957607) (Unknown)
- [PJ Media](https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/09/24/cnn-insiders-are-panicking-over-this-bombshell-development-n4957600) (Unknown)
- [PJ Media](https://pjmedia.com/eric-florack/2026/09/24/the-funeral-of-cnn-n4957588) (Unknown)
- [RedState](https://redstate.com/videos/2026/09/24/cnns-meltdown-didnt-stop-while-the-trump-white-house-wouldnt-let-them-in-n2207344) (Unknown)

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