Skydance Media is promising to overhaul the culture of CBS News and its parent company ahead of its planned $8 billion merger with Paramount Global, pledging to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and appoint an ombudsperson to monitor complaints of bias. The commitments were detailed in new filings submitted this week to the Federal Communications Commission, which is the federal agency that would have to approve the high-profile media merger.
In the filings, Skydance said the ombudsperson would serve for at least two years and would be responsible for overseeing concerns regarding editorial fairness within CBS News.
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Focused on ‘unbiased journalism’
Skydance CEO David Ellison reinforced the message during a meeting on Tuesday, July 15, with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee and vocal critic of traditional media.
According to the filings, Ellison emphasized a commitment to “American storytelling” and “unbiased journalism” that reflects the varied perspectives of American audiences.
“We discussed Skydance’s commitment to unbiased journalism and its embrace of diverse viewpoints, principles that will ensure CBS’s editorial decision-making reflects the varied ideological perspectives of American viewers,” the federal filing stated of the meeting between Ellison and Carr.
No DEI initiatives or policies
The company also said it would eliminate DEI programs across the broader organization under its future leadership, known as “New Paramount.” Skydance’s general counsel, Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon, wrote in a letter to Carr that the company “does not have DEI programs in place today and will not establish such initiatives” if the merger were to be approved.
Merger unfolds amid media scrutiny
The announcement comes amid growing political scrutiny of corporate diversity efforts and the media. President Donald Trump issued an executive order earlier this year aimed at limiting DEI programs in the private sector, prompting several large companies to scale back.
Meanwhile, the FCC is separately reviewing DEI practices at Comcast and Disney, the parent companies of NBC and ABC News, respectively.
Paramount has already faced political pressure in recent months, including a $16 million settlement with Trump over a defamation lawsuit, as well as the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a vocal Trump critic.
The FCC is expected to decide on the Skydance-Paramount merger by the fall.
