Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery Settle Over News Independence

Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have reached a settlement with a coalition of 12 state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America to establish an Editorial Independence Board as part of their corporate merger. The board will consist of five journalists with at least ten years of experience who will create guiding principles for accuracy, fairness, and journalistic integrity for both CBS News and CNN.

David Ellison, head of Paramount Skydance, will oversee the appointment of board members to three-year terms, with a requirement that no more than two members belong to the same political party. The board is tasked with resolving disputes between news employees and management regarding ethical violations or reporting bias. A separate agreement with the Writers Guild of America prohibits writer layoffs at CBS News broadcast for five years.

Critics, including FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez and the Freedom of the Press Foundation, argue the board will be toothless because it lacks explicit investigative oversight and its findings are not required to be public. Concerns have also been raised regarding potential rightward editorial shifts under Ellison and the appointment of Bari Weiss to lead CBS News. California Attorney General Rob Bonta defended the measure as a way to protect the integrity of the newsrooms.

The board must be established within 180 days of the merger. While the settlement creates an independent monitoring trustee for cable-licensing and film production, news operations are specifically excluded from that trustee's authority.