Dear John,
A handful of billionaires are reshaping American media to serve their own political and financial interests. After Paramount’s CBS settled Trump’s frivolous $16 million lawsuit against them, and canceled Stephen Colbert, much to Trump’s delight, the FCC swiftly approved Paramount’s merger with Skydance. The result: A newly consolidated media giant now run by David Ellison — son of Larry Ellison, the world’s third-richest man and a major Trump donor.
Now Ellison has announced Paramount’s acquisition of The Free Press, and installed its anti-“woke” founder, Bari Weiss, as editor-in-chief of CBS News.
This is the same billionaire-led conglomerate that wants to absorb Warner Bros. Discovery — an even bigger step toward the concentration of the power to shape public opinion. The proposed merger would hand control of CNN, CBS News, HBO, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, HGTV, TNT, and more to a single mega-corporation — with Trump’s allies at the helm.
Democracy depends on a diversity of voices and ideas. It cannot be found or built in a billionaire’s echo chamber. As media power concentrates in fewer and fewer hands, working people’s stories vanish, independent journalism erodes, and the news we receive increasingly serves the agenda of the rich and powerful — not the public’s right to know.
Tell the FCC and Department of Justice: launch a full antitrust review of the Paramount Skydance — WB Discovery merger. Either block it outright, or impose the strongest possible safeguards against corporate control of the press.
Journalists can’t speak truth to power when a mega-corporation controls their ability to speak. When the information pipeline narrows, the truth is far more easily manipulated or hidden, leaving an entire population blind to what is actually happening around them.
The American people can’t make informed decisions when the information they receive is filtered through a corporate lens designed to protect wealth and influence. Regulators must guarantee newsroom independence, editorial autonomy, and protections for investigative and local reporting. Otherwise, money and power will drown out truth and accountability.
Demand that the FCC and DOJ defend press freedom, stop dangerous media consolidation, and protect the people’s right to know.
Thank you for fighting for an independent media that serves the people, not billionaires’ interests.
Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action
