CNN’s Mark Thompson will continue to head the network under the ownership of David Ellison, whose merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. is expected to close Tuesday.
Thompson has led CNN for almost three years. The decision for him to stay, which was announced Monday, may be a sign that Ellison does not immediately intend to combine CNN with CBS News, led by Bari Weiss.
“I have real confidence that they both understand and will fully support the principle and practice of the kind of independent news that CNN has always stood for,” Thompson said in a memo to staff. He said that he would lead the network as an independent editor in chief with the same responsibilities but that many other specifics of how CNN will operate under the newly combined parent company, known as Skydance, are still to be worked out.
The merger of the two Hollywood and media titans into Skydance has been politically contentious, in part over fears about whether Ellison and Weiss would influence CNN. Skydance has agreed to establish a five-member board of journalists tasked with protecting the independence of CNN and CBS to assuage concerns about political interference. The board has drawn skepticism from many journalists and observers.
“I’m convinced that from David Ellison on down, Paramount Skydance leadership really does believe in news alongside entertainment as a top strategic opportunity for our new company,” Thompson said in the memo.
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