Veteran journalist Dan Rather, who described himself as an “optimist” by nature, has offered a bleak warning over the future of CNN and CBS News as billionaires continue to buy up media properties.
In a recent appearance on Radio Andy with host Andy Cohen, Rather was asked about last week’s Wall Street Journal report, which claimed Paramount’s new owner-CEO, David Ellison, was preparing a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. Rather said if this happened, it would not only “change CNN forever” but also be a “serious wound to CBS News.”
CNN is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, meaning if Ellison’s bid was accepted, CNN would be under the same banner as CBS News, which is owned by Paramount.
“I do think, Andy, without preaching about it, but that we, all of us, all the Americans, have to be concerned about the consolidation of huge billionaires getting control of nearly all of the major news outlets,” Rather told Cohen, per The Wrap.
“This is not healthy for the country, and it is something to worry about,” he added. “You and I are both optimists, but it’s pretty hard to be optimistic about the possibilities of the Ellisons buying CNN.”
Rather went on to say that changes are already happening within CBS News, noting a shift toward more right-wing coverage. “[The Ellisons] are great supporters of President Trump, and there’ve been several instances in which the previous owners, who were also supporters of President Trump, had tried to sort of dictate what kind of news comes on,” the former CBS Evening News anchor continued.
He pointed to the long-running CBS news program 60 Minutes, which he said was at one time considered “untouchable.”
Earlier this year, Paramount reached a $16 million settlement with Donald Trump after he sued the company over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, which he claimed had been edited in her favour. While many said Trump’s lawsuit had no basis, the settlement went ahead amid Paramount’s merger with Skydance, which required government approval.
“My own feeling is that it is a particularly tough time for anybody working at CBS News and I still know many people there and I’m not ashamed to say that my heart is still there and probably always will be in a way,” Rather added.
“But this is an extremely tough time for them, and it’ll be interesting to see how much, if any, pressure the new owners put on them to change the coverage to be more pro-Trump than to being independent news,” he concluded.