--- title: "Skydance says CNN will retain its editorial independence" description: "The Briefing ☀️ Happy Thursday! The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. Sign up here! In today’s email: 🔥 Featured story Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery was finalized this week, with the resulting company to be known as Skydance. In a press conference, CEO David Ellison sought to address […]" date: "2026-10-08" authors: - name: "jhaner" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/newsletter/the-briefing/the-briefing-2026-10-08/" --- # Skydance says CNN will retain its editorial independence October 8, 2026 ## The Briefing --- **☀️ Happy Thursday!** *The Briefing is your guide to the world of news and information. [**Sign up here!**](https://www.pewresearch.org/sign-up-for-the-briefing/)* **In today's email:** - **Featured story:** Skydance says CNN will retain its editorial independence - **New from Pew Research Center:** What do health and wellness influencers post about? - **In other news:** Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt joins Fox News - **Looking ahead:** ABC asks federal judge to block FCC’s early review of broadcast licenses - **Chart of the week:** How Americans engage with news online ### 🔥 **Featured story** **Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery** was [finalized this week](https://apnews.com/article/warner-bros-skydance-ellison-studio-hollywood-5f4326c083ca2fc084ff399c1b8aa035), with the resulting company to be known as **Skydance.** In a press conference, CEO **David Ellison** sought to address concerns about the future of **CNN,** which Skydance now owns. He [vowed that the network](https://apnews.com/article/cnn-cbs-skydance-merger-david-ellison-a0b39dd71b3fa6361058357835b2b76e) will retain **complete editorial independence** and kept its leader, **Mark Thompson,** [at the helm](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/05/business/cnn-mark-thompson-ellison-paramount-skydance.html?smid=nytcore-android-share). Our recent [study of Americans’ views on press freedom](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2026/09/15/americans-value-press-freedom-but-differ-on-its-limits/) found that many people are wary of corporate influence on news organizations, and most [oppose direct intervention by company owners](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2026/09/15/how-americans-think-about-censorship-of-news-in-the-us/#how-americans-feel-about-owners-of-news-organizations-suppressing-coverage-for-their-business-or-political-interests). For instance, about three-quarters of U.S. adults say it is completely (58%) or somewhat unacceptable (17%) for the owner of a news organization to **kill a story because it goes against their own political interests.** Far fewer say this is completely (4%) or somewhat acceptable (9%). ### 🚨 **New from Pew Research Center** **Social media influencers** are an important part of how many Americans [understand their own health](https://www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/2026/05/07/moms-coaches-doctors-entrepreneurs-who-are-americas-health-and-wellness-influencers/). But what information are health and wellness influencers sharing with their audiences? A [new Pew Research Center analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/2026/10/07/what-do-health-and-wellness-influencers-post-about/) looks at **more than a half a million posts** on social media from **more than 6,000 health and wellness influencers.** ### 📌 **In other news** - **Karoline Leavitt,** former White House press secretary under Trump, [joins Fox News](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/10/05/former-white-house-press-secretary-karoline-leavitt-joins-fox-news-contributor/) - **CNN, MS NOW** and **Politico** [return to court](https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/cnn-ms-now-politico-urge-judge-block-white-house-ban-long-term-2026-10-08/) over **White House ban;** [Politico reporter blocked](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/08/business/media/trump-cnn-ms-now-politico-ban.html) from **Air Force One** - Local TV news giant **Sinclair** [to launch Substack brand](https://www.axios.com/2026/10/06/sinclair-launches-national-news-brand-on-substack) called **The National Press** - **U.S. Agency for Global Media** is [rebuilding Voice of America](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/02/trump-tried-to-dismantle-voice-of-america-now-the-government-is-paying-to-rebuild-it-01104914) after the Trump administration gutted the broadcaster last year - **Spotify** [renews podcast deal](https://www.wsj.com/business/media/joe-rogan-re-ups-lucrative-spotify-deal-4f53c565) with **Joe Rogan** - **Journalist groups** call on **X** to [reject Turkish authorities’ request](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/journalist-groups-urge-x-reject-broad-account-blocking-requests-turkey-2026-10-06/) to restrict news accounts - **Supreme Court** [declines to hear appeal](https://www.wesanews.org/politics-government/2026-10-05/union-celebrates-legal-win-as-u-s-supreme-court-rejects-pittsburgh-post-gazette-appeal) in the legal battle between the **Pittsburgh Post-Gazette** and its union - **Three African military governments** [launch a joint television channel](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/world/africa/russia-africa-propaganda-sahel-tafouk.html) with support from **Russia** - A close look at a [mysterious local news outlet](https://www.whro.org/virginia-center-for-investigative-journalism/2026-10-06/in-winchester-the-truth-about-a-local-news-website-is-the-citys-best-kept-secret) in **Virginia** - **Columbia University** [pauses admissions](https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/columbia-journalism-school-will-temporarily-pause-its-m-a-program-and-launch-an-online-degree/) to its journalism master's program ### 📅 **Looking ahead** **ABC** and parent company Disney are [asking a federal judge to block](https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-judge-hold-hearing-disney-bid-block-fcc-license-review-2026-10-06/) the** FCC’s early review of broadcast licenses for eight ABC-owned stations.** The news organization argues that the scrutiny is retaliation for coverage and programming critical of President Donald Trump, raising a broader question about whether the threat of regulatory action could [influence how broadcasters cover the administration](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/06/abcs-license-fight-threatens-to-reshape-trump-coverage-01109399). A ruling could come later this month from [a judge who has seemed skeptical of the FCC’s actions](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/6131997-judge-questions-fcc-abc-license-review/). Americans see substantial political influence on the news media: **81% say news organizations are influenced at least somewhat by government and political interests, **including about half (49%) who say there is a great deal of political influence, according to a [June 2026 Pew Research Center survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2026/09/15/how-americans-think-about-corporate-and-political-influence-on-the-news/). Similar shares say more specifically that political interests impact **which news stories get covered.** **Partisan differences have narrowed in recent years.** The share of Republicans who say government and political interests influence news organizations a great deal fell from 67% in 2024 to 54% in 2026, while the share among Democrats rose from 34% to 46%. ### 📊 **Chart of the week** This week’s chart comes from a [recent Center analysis](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/10/07/how-do-americans-engage-with-news-online/) from the [Pew-Knight Initiative](https://www.pewresearch.org/collections/pew-knight-initiative/) looking at Americans’ **online news engagement habits.** Many Americans privately share or chat about news with others (56%) and like or save posts about news (45%). But fewer publicly post, share or comment about news online (26%). ### Many Americans engage with news online, most often in private ways *% of U.S. adults who said in 2025 that they had done each of the following activities online in the past week* | | Percentage | | --- | --- | | Privately chatted about or shared news | 56 | | Liked or saved posts about news | 45 | | Publicly posted, shared or commented about news | 26 | Note: The full question wording was: “In the past week, have you done any of the following activities online (on a website, social media, or a messaging app)?” Source: Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted July 9-Dec. 5, 2025. *👋 That's all for this week.* The Briefing is compiled by Pew Research Center staff, including Naomi Forman-Katz, Christopher St. Aubin, Emily Tomasik, Joanne Haner, and Sawyer Reed. It is edited by Michael Lipka and copy edited by Anna Jackson. *Do you like this newsletter? Email us at [journalism@pewresearch.org](mailto:journalism@pewresearch.org) or fill out this [two-question survey](https://us1.list-manage.com/survey?u=434f5d1199912232d416897e4&id=449f3c3d35&attribution=false) to tell us what you think*.