Paramount CEO asks Mark Thompson to stay on at CNN after the merger. Will he?

The big mega media deal of Paramount acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to be finalized next week. Paramount owns CBS News and Warner Bros. Discovery owns CNN. So the big question in media circles is what’s to become of CNN when the companies merge? Well, we may have an early answer. The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Flint reported Thursday that Paramount CEO David Ellison has asked Mark Thompson to stay on as the big boss at CNN. Nothing is finalized, but Ellison does want Thompson to stay. The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin and Michael M. Grynbaum wrote, “It is possible that Mr. Thompson and Mr. Ellison do not reach an agreement that allows him to run CNN for the foreseeable future. But the arrangement, if it pans out, is likely to assuage some critics who worried that Mr. Ellison would quickly bring significant changes to the 24-hour cable network.” For some, this news comes as a bit of a surprise. Many assumed that Ellison’s hand-picked editor-in-chief of CBS News, Bari Weiss, would also be put in charge of CNN once the merger closed. But Flint wrote, “Ellison and his team have been determining how CNN will work with Paramount’s CBS News and its Editor in Chief Bari Weiss. Weiss isn’t expected to have a role involving CNN at close of the deal, people familiar with Ellison’s thinking said.” Weiss won’t have a role “at the close of the deal,” according to Flint’s reporting. Does that mean Weiss might have a role at some later date? “Ellison isn’t expected to name a news chief to oversee both operations when he lays out his organizational structure for the combined company in the coming days, people familiar with the matter said,” Flint wrote. So, for now, it would appear that Thompson, if he agrees, will remain in charge of CNN. Reports state that Thompson will insist that CNN has editorial independence in order to remain on board. The news about the news, delivered every weekday Join tens of thousands of journalists, media leaders and news enthusiasts who rely on The Poynter Report to stay ahead of the stories shaping the industry. Could CBS and CNN eventually merge operations? That’s complicated. Flint accurately notes, “Combining CNN and CBS News would be fraught with challenges. The two organizations have different business models, newsroom cultures and labor structures. Most CBS News employees work under union contracts, while CNN is largely nonunion, which would complicate efforts to combine staff and newsgathering operations. The companies would also have to sort through overlapping bureaus, talent contracts and questions over how much of their editorial operations could be shared while maintaining the distinct identities of the two news outlets.” The Los Angeles Times’ Stephen Battaglio writes, “CNN and CBS News are expected to consolidate some of their operations, such as its overseas bureaus.” Thompson, who took over at CNN in 2023, is well-liked and well-respected by CNN staff, so news that he is being asked to stay likely calms some fears by those worried about Weiss taking over the network. But, again, it sounds as if Thompson will insist that CNN continues to have editorial independence. Deadline’s Ted Johnson and Jill Goldsmith wrote, “Under Thompson, CNN also has continued to aggressively report on the Trump administration, while embarking on a lawsuit against the president after he banned the network and two other outlets from the White House grounds. The network also has defended its reporters in the face of attacks by the president, including its chief White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins.” There is one other challenge Thompson might need to face. “If Thompson remains,” Battaglio wrote, “it’s likely he will have the task of reducing costs, as the traditional TV audience that provides the bulk of revenues for both CNN and CBS News continues to shrink. As far as Weiss, The Daily Beast’s Laura Esposito wrote, “The billionaire chief of Paramount has given his CBS boss a clear vote of no confidence.” That may be true. Although, as pointed out earlier, combining CBS News and CNN under one umbrella with one clear boss might be too unwieldy, at least at this point in time. Standing strong Thursday was CNN’s turn to handle the TV pool coverage of President Donald Trump, but the administration is still banning CNN from the pool. In a sign of solidarity, the other networks in the TV pool — ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC — decided to not have a replacement fill in for CNN. Ted Boutrous, the attorney representing CNN, MS NOW, Politico — all recently banned from the White House before getting a restraining order — said in a statement about CNN’s ban from the TV pool: “As we explain in our latest brief, the White House is persisting in unpredictably and inconsistently implementing the President’s unconstitutional ‘ban on the free press’ by barring CNN from fulfilling its role as a designated television network pooler — to the detriment of CNN, its fellow pool members and, ultimately, the American public.” More media rantings from Trump It’s a day that ends in Y so that must mean President Donald Trump has grievances about the media. His latest attack came during an interview with Time Magazine. Trump will be on the cover of the next print issue of Time, which comes out on Oct. 16. It will be Trump’s 56th time on the magazine’s cover — more than any individual. The 75-minute interview with Eric Cortellessa and Time’s Editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs is already up online. Trump talks about plenty of topics: the war in Iran, AI, the midterm elections and the Supreme Court. But among his biggest grievances was the media. During a rant about the press, he once again verbally attacked CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins, saying, “I can name 100 great things I’ve done. I never get good press. I never get fair press. Doesn’t have to be good. All it has to be is fair. So at a certain point, you say, ‘What’s the purpose of like this crazy Kaitlan Collins?’ She’s a very average person. She’s the most unhappy young person I’ve ever seen. If I did something spectacular by any standard, and they would write about it, they will only write badly.” He also went after more of his favorite targets: MS NOW, The New York Times and NBC. He even suggested the Times might be next on his banned list because he believes they give more positive press to Iran than the U.S. Trump said, “I have The New York Times saying how well they’re doing, and it’s so crazy. Their whole military is gone. Their radar is gone. Their leaders are gone. You know, we went through two levels of leaders, and The New York Times keeps writing about how well they’re doing. They have no money. They have no value of money. They have nothing going, and just fake news, fake news, and maybe they’ll be next.” Near the end of the interview, Trump even went off on his interviewers, saying, “You haven’t asked me one (expletive) positive question.” Good question It should be noted that one of the first questions Time asked Trump was a good one: “Given the news this week, I have to ask: Why should Americans believe that you respect the free press when you’re restricting access of some of our colleagues to the White House?” Trump said, “Because I do respect the free press, but I don’t respect fake news.” Then he went on a long diatribe about how he doesn’t get enough credit for the job he does. Alongside the interview, Time also published a fact-check of Trump’s interview. Media news, tidbits and interesting links for your weekend review - Here’s more of Trump attacking the media. It’s Mediaite’s Kathryn Wilkens with “Trump Ominously Discusses the Prospect of Jailing Reporters Over Leaks: ‘I Haven’t Done That…Yet.’” - The Washington Post’s Isaac Arnsdorf with “Campaign-style Trump ads use money meant for border security, memorials.” Arnsdorf wrote, “The Trump administration is airing campaign-style television ads using money Congress approved for border security upgrades, efforts to combat drug trafficking and memorials for officers killed in the line of duty, according to federal spending records.” - A rumor that occasionally pops up is that ABC might eventually part ways with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel when his current contract is up. Again, mind you, these are just rumors. But when legendary radio host Howard Stern appeared on Kimmel’s show Wednesday night, he had a message for ABC: “There is no man more loyal to this company than this guy.” Stern talked about all the promotion Kimmel does for ABC, then added, “He has done everything for the company. And I hope that they keep that in mind. Oh my God. I don’t know about you, but if something goes wrong, oh, is ABC going to have hell to pay. Am I correct? Are you with me?” - Starting today, MS NOW is launching “POTUS Promise Check,” a five-part series in which reporter Alex Tabet examines five of Trump’s Inauguration Day promises and their impact on Americans in five different states. New reports will air each Friday in October on “State of Play with Peter Alexander” and across MS NOW platforms and programming. Topics include gas prices (Alaska), jobs (Ohio), immigration (Arizona), tariffs and trade (Michigan), and the military (North Carolina). - The New York Times’ Lynsey Chutel with “Egypt Arrests 6 Journalists Accused of Spreading Disinformation.” - The Bulwark’s Will Sommer with “The Daily Wire Is Quietly Shooting a Pro-ICE Movie. We Got the Script.” - The Guardian’s Dan Sabbagh with “Kyiv Independent editor: ‘Our readers want Russia to suffer but we can’t be propagandists.’” - The Hollywood Reporter’s Steven Zeitchik with “Being Clarissa Ward: The CNN Fixture on Gaza, Trump and Her Ellison-Era Future.” - For Poynter, Steven Waldman with “6 overlooked reasons California’s Community NEWS Act is ‘a big deal.’” - Here’s Wirecutter’s Hall of Fame 2026. More resources for journalists - Strengthen your investigative reporting with Will Work for Impact: Fundamentals of Investigative Journalism from Oct. 2-Nov. 3, 2026. Enroll now. - Learn how to write a memoir with expert guidance in a five-week virtual workshop. Enroll now. - Build a strong foundation for managing people in our five-day Essential Skills for New Managers, March 1–5, 2027, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Designed for managers with up to three years of experience, the program covers delegation, feedback, difficult conversations, managing up and leading former peers. Apply by Dec. 7. Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org. The Poynter Report is your daily dive into the world of media, packed with the latest news and insights. Get it delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday by signing up here. And don’t forget to tune into our biweekly podcast for even more. Comments