Paramount Scaled Back DEI Ahead Of Skydance Merger. Now It’s Up To The FCC
Paramount Global is waiting for one last step before completing its sale to independent film and TV producer David Ellison’s Skydance Media. The Federal Communications Commission must approve the transfer of the company’s broadcast licenses, according to Bloomberg.
The agency is concerned about news bias inside the media company, as well as the legality of its DEI efforts.
Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media
Paramount’s transfer to Skydance Media progressed after the media group settled Trump’s news-bias lawsuit against its CBS News division by agreeing to pay $16 million for his legal expenses and a donation to his future presidential library. The decision to approve or reject Paramount’s sale to Skydance lies with the FCC and Chairman Brendan Carr.
CBS News was under review by the FCC for its “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala. The FCC believes it violated rules relating to “news distortion. President Trump also filed a separate lawsuit against the company, claiming that the interview was edited to give Harris an advantage in the polls.
Brendan Carr joining The FCC
In January, President Trump asked Carr, who has been a supporter of Trump, to lead the agency. Carr has continuously fired attacks at the press. Earlier this year, the chairman of the agency said the president has “been right on these media bias issues.” He shared that he would assess how CBS handled the Harris interview in the context of the agency’s merger review.
Carr also said that he would look at the context of Paramount’s plans to end “invidious” forms of discrimination highlighted in media companies’ DEI policies. In response,
If the FCC does establish conditions on the merger, it could follow similar cues from complaints filed by the Center for American Rights. This conservative-leaning nonprofit public interest law firm believes it has witnessed news bias at US media outlets.
It said that the approval should be based on concessions such as Paramount finding broadcast executives and editorial staff in cities other than New York and Los Angeles to balance viewpoints. The center also wants an independent ombudsman to settle complaints about coverage.
Image: Patrick Fallon / AFP / Getty Images
