Topline
Skydance Media plans to conduct a comprehensive review of CBS News if its merger with Paramount Global goes through, the company said in FCC filings Wednesday, which would include adding an ombudsman to “evaluate any complaints of bias” and end diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Skydance CEO David Ellison appears at a premiere in May 2025.
Key Facts
In a pair of letters filed on Wednesday, Skydance laid out significant changes to CBS News should their planned merger with Paramount Global go through—just one day after President Donald Trump boasted of a “BIG AND IMPORTANT WIN” in their lawsuit against “60 Minutes.”
In one filing, Skydance promised to end DEI considerations in hiring, promotions, development, and compensation, adding that it “no longer will set numerical goals related to the race, ethnicity sex, or gender of job applicants or employee hires in the United States.”
The filing also said Paramount ended “aspirational goals related to hiring female employees and employees of color” in February.
The company also said it would eliminate Paramount’s Office of Global Inclusion and remove all references to DEI on their websites and social media.
Skydance said that their new management for Paramount would guarantee that news and entertainment embody “a diversity of viewpoints across the political and ideological spectrum, consistent with the varying perspectives of the viewing audience.”
The company would also promote an “ombudsman,” tasked with evaluating complaints of bias in news coverage, who would report directly to the president of Paramount.
Key Background
Skydance announced a deal to merge with Paramount Global in 2024, but the deal still requires federal approval. When Paramount agreed to settle a lawsuit Trump brought against CBS’s storied “60 Minutes” newsmagazine program for $16 million, many critics saw the move as a way to broker a truce with the Trump administration. Last week, CBS also canceled “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” the network’s long-running late night talk show. The network said the decision was based on finances—“The Late Show” was losing $40 to $50 million a year, according to the network. However, Colbert has also gained a reputation as a frequent critic of Trump, leading many to speculate this may have also impacted the decision to cut the program.