Who Killed the Free Press? Billionaires, Bullying, and the Battle for Your Mind
The Buyout: When Billionaires Take Over Your TV
Here's a question worth asking: When did the evening news become something you can't trust?
The answer isn't complicated. But it is frightening. And it involves some of the wealthiest people in the world quietly taking control of the news you watch — while a sitting president uses the power of government to punish journalists who tell the truth.
This is not a conspiracy theory. These are documented facts. And every person who believes in democracy needs to understand what's happening right now.
In August 2025, David Ellison — son of Oracle founder and billionaire Larry Ellison — completed a merger between his company, Skydance Media, and Paramount Global. With that deal, the Ellison family gained control of CBS News, 60 Minutes, MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, and Paramount+.
That's a lot of television. A lot of influence. And a lot of power to shape what millions of Americans see, hear, and believe.
Now, as of early 2026, Paramount has announced a plan to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery — the parent company of CNN. If that merger goes through, the same Ellison family that now runs CBS will also run CNN.
““Pending merger could hand control of CNN to the same billionaire family.” ”
Press freedom advocates are alarmed. More than 200 journalists and documentary filmmakers signed an open letter opposing the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. Nine press freedom organizations joined together to sound the alarm. Free press advocates projected messages opposing the merger on Jazz at Lincoln Center during the News and Documentary Emmy Awards in May 2026.
And the Ellisons aren't done. Larry Ellison's Oracle has also been tapped to take over TikTok's U.S. operations — including its algorithm. One family. Your evening news. Your cable TV. Your social media feed.
The Squeeze: How the White House Pressured CBS
Owning the news is one thing. Using government power to control what the news says is something else entirely.
The Trump administration launched FCC investigations into ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR, PBS, and local stations. The FCC — now led by Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee and Project 2025 author — opened eight investigations targeting outlets that displeased the president.
The pattern at CBS is a textbook case. Here's what happened, step by step:
Step 1: The FCC launches an investigation into CBS's 60 Minutes for how they edited a 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Step 2: Trump had the power to block the Paramount-Skydance merger approval. Paramount entered mediation with Trump to seek resolution of his lawsuit.
Step 3: In April 2025, 60 Minutes airs a report that angers Trump. He demands CBS "lose their license" for "unlawful and illegal behavior." FCC Chair Carr declares "all options remain on the table."
Step 4: Days later, the longtime executive producer of 60 Minutes resigns, stating he no longer has journalistic independence. Anchor Scott Pelley confirms on-air that "Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways."
Step 5: CBS pulls a completed report — three hours before it was set to broadcast — about the Salvadoran megaprison where the Trump administration had sent hundreds of Venezuelan migrants.
Step 6 (2026): CBS fires top 60 Minutes journalists, including correspondent Cecilia Vega and executive producer Tanya Simon. Anderson Cooper leaves the network, citing concerns about the direction of the coverage. The program that once had a full roster of star correspondents is now down to three.
“The firings were a grotesque effort taken straight from an authoritarian handbook.” ”
Think about what this means. The government launched regulatory investigations into a media company. That company needed government approval for a merger. The company then started firing journalists who covered stories the government didn't like. That's not a coincidence. That's coercion.
The Silencing: Late-Night and the Chilling Effect
Television journalism wasn't the only target. So was comedy.
In September 2025, after comedian and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel made remarks about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, FCC Chair Brendan Carr personally threatened local broadcasters who aired Kimmel's show — warning them they could face "fines or loss of licenses." Republican Senator Ted Cruz compared Carr's threats to those of "an organized-crime boss."
ABC pulled Kimmel's show indefinitely. Trump celebrated on Truth Social: "Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED." He then called on NBC to cancel Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon too.
Also in 2025, CBS announced the end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — attributing it to budget reasons. Colbert's final show aired in May 2026. CBS said it would "retire the Late Show franchise entirely." Two months after the cancellation announcement, Colbert's team won an Emmy Award for Best Talk Series.
Kimmel's show was later reinstated and his contract renewed. But the message was already sent: criticize the president, lose your platform. That message doesn't just affect one comedian. It makes every host, writer, and producer think twice before they say something true that might make the powerful uncomfortable.
That's what's called a chilling effect. And it is one of the most dangerous tools of authoritarianism.
The Danger: Propaganda Is What's Left When Truth Leaves
When powerful people control what you see — and what you're not allowed to see — that's not news anymore. That's a narrative. And narratives designed to protect the powerful are called propaganda.
Here's how it works:
Remove the messengers. Journalists who ask hard questions are fired, suspended, or intimidated. Reporters were arrested covering public protests. An Atlanta-based journalist was deported to El Salvador following critical reporting. The FBI raided the home of a Washington Post journalist to uncover a source.
Dry up the independent sources. Congress cut funding for NPR and PBS — the public broadcasting that exists to serve communities without profit motive. Trump's executive order targeting NPR was later ruled unconstitutional by a federal court, but the funding cuts imposed by Congress remain in effect.
Reward the compliant. Media companies that cooperate get their mergers approved. Those that push back face regulatory investigations, license threats, and lawsuit pressure. Both ABC and CBS News settled Trump lawsuits over stories that displeased him.
Create a government blacklist. The White House launched an official "Bias Tracker" — a government tool to publicly flag and target journalists whose coverage displeases the administration. As of early 2026, Trump had made more than 215 anti-media posts on social media targeting individual journalists and outlets by name.
“If we want journalism that challenges the powerful, we must defend press freedom. Otherwise, all that’s left is propaganda.”
The goal of propaganda is not just to tell you what to think. It's to make you doubt everything else, so you stop trusting any source that tells you the truth. Trump said the quiet part out loud years ago: "I do it to discredit you all and demean you all, so that when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you."
The Constitution: What's Actually at Stake
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution says:
“Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.”
What You Can Do
John Lewis taught us that democracy requires active participation. Here's how to fight back:
1. Diversify what you read and watch. Don't rely on a single outlet. Seek out independent journalism, local reporters, and non-commercial sources like public radio and community newspapers.
2. Support independent journalism. Subscribe to your local paper. Donate to nonprofit newsrooms. Independent outlets are not beholden to billionaires or merger approvals.
3. Talk about it. Share this post. Have this conversation at your dinner table, your faith community, and your workplace. Most people don't know the depth of what's happening.
4. Vote like your information depends on it. Because it does. Elected officials shape who runs the FCC, who approves mergers, and who protects the Constitution.
5. Know your rights. The First Amendment belongs to all of us. When it is weakened for one, it is weakened for everyone.
Good Trouble Circle is a civic engagement initiative rooted in the legacy of Congressman John Lewis. We believe democracy demands we stay awake, speak up, and get in good trouble.
