On July 24, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the merger of CBS’s owner, Paramount Global, with Skydance Media on the condition that an ombudsman, or as FCC Chairman Brendan Carr more aptly put it, a “bias monitor,” to oversee CBS’s reporting.
Carr told Newsmax that the state-sanctioned bias monitor will be in place for two years. They will “report directly to the president [of Paramount].”
The Carr FCC claims there is precedent for such a bias monitor. But the precedent cited in last week’s merger approval points to a very different case involving NBC and GE, one in which an ombudsman was used to protect NBC’s editorial independence from interference by its new owner.
Ars Technica
Indeed, it appears as though this ombudsman will be installed for reasons that entirely contrast with the NBC case. In order to reach the merger with Skydance, CBS repeatedly appeased the Trump administration. It surrendered to a frivolous Trump lawsuit. Additionally, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was also abruptly canceled after Colbert’s repeated criticism and satirical depictions of Trump.
Carr himself admitted that the Trump administration was effectively open to a bribe by Paramount when he stated that Paramount’s response to the Trump administration’s frivolous complaint about a CBS interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris would impact the outcome of the FCC’s review of the merger.
This episode may represent a significant challenge to the First Amendment rights to free speech and for the freedom of the press. Paramount’s self-censorship for monetary gain demonstrates that the President can influence even the largest media conglomerates in the United States.
Senator Elizabeth Warren sharply criticized the merger, recommending an investigation for criminal behavior such as bribery.
