Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery Bid Intensifies Amid Ongoing CBS News Drama
Fox News media and political analyst Howard Kurtz joins ‘America Reports’ to discuss why CBS pulled a ‘60 Minutes’ report on the Trump administration’s deportations to an El Salvador prison.
Following CBS News’ decision to delay a “60 Minutes” segment that scrutinized the Trump administration’s deportation of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s CECOT prison, questions have arisen regarding the motivations behind this move. Some media outlets speculate that the delay may have been an attempt to curry favor with the administration amidst an escalating battle for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Recently, Paramount and its majority shareholders, the billionaire Ellison family, increased their bid for Warner Bros. Discovery to a staggering $108 billion. This comes at a time when WBD is negotiating a deal to sell its movie and streaming assets to Netflix, making Paramount’s bid appear hostile.
This week, CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss stirred controversy by delaying the airing of the “60 Minutes” segment about CECOT, a decision that was particularly unusual given that the network had already begun promoting the segment ahead of its anticipated Sunday night airing.
CBS INSIDERS WARN THAT SKYDANCE MERGER BRINGS ‘HALL MONITOR’ TO NEWS DIVISION
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss speaks onstage during a Book Club event with Peggy Noonan on Nov. 19, 2024, in New York City. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for The Free Press / Getty Images)
Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi interviewed Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration to the notorious prison for the segment, which leaked online after airing in Canada. Alfonsi expressed her frustration with Weiss in a memo to colleagues, labeling the decision as politically motivated and indicative of corporate censorship.
Weiss defended her actions, stating that she did not believe the story was ready for air and encouraged respectful disagreement among colleagues. In her notes regarding the segment, she called for more aggressive efforts to interview Trump officials and criticized a “strange” analysis of the prison by Berkeley students. While she did not advocate for scrapping the segment entirely, she emphasized the need for further reporting before it could be aired.
Liberal media figures have suggested that Weiss’ actions may be linked to corporate interests and the Ellisons’ connections to President Trump. A report from New York Magazine’s The Intelligencer indicated that the Ellisons are seeking favorable treatment from the Trump administration by censoring the segment. Larry Ellison, the billionaire father of Paramount CEO David Ellison and a Trump ally, has reportedly offered $40 billion of his own money to bolster the deal.
WARNER BROS BOARD SLAMS PARAMOUNT TAKEOVER BID AS SHAREHOLDERS FACE $72B NETFLIX CHOICE DECISION
According to the report, the Ellisons, among the wealthiest individuals globally, acquired Paramount earlier this year and are now targeting Warner Bros. Discovery. They hope that Trump will use his antitrust powers to block Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, allowing Paramount to take over instead, thereby creating a new media powerhouse.
Oracle co-founder, CTO and Executive Chairman Larry Ellison, accompanied by U.S. President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Jan. 21, 2025. (Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)
Despite these allegations, The Intelligencer noted that the Ellisons are “not yet on Trump’s good side,” suggesting that the president is still dissatisfied with “60 Minutes” for not being sufficiently flattering. Trump himself criticized the show on Truth Social, claiming it has treated him worse since David Ellison took over Paramount.
A report from The Intercept further accused Weiss of corporate interference in relation to Paramount’s bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. The outlet argued that Weiss’ decision to delay the segment exemplifies why David Ellison hired her in the first place.
According to The Intercept, Weiss’ role is to appease Trump, not as an end in itself, but as a strategy to undermine the Netflix-Warner Bros. Discovery merger and solidify the Ellison family’s media dominance while advancing their right-wing agenda.
Paramount has recently raised its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery to $108 billion. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images / Getty Images)
The report further claimed that Trump’s second term has seen a “total abandonment of antitrust law,” providing the Ellisons with an opportunity to consolidate unprecedented media control. The outlet suggested that Trump could leverage federal antitrust laws to favor the Ellisons in the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery.
KUSHNER FIRM DROPS OUT OF PARAMOUNT’S HOSTILE $108B WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY BID
According to The Intercept, Weiss and Ellison’s “interference” with “60 Minutes” is not merely about promoting “Trumpism,” but rather about advancing the Ellison agenda and expanding their media empire.
Earlier this year, Paramount completed an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, which required approval from the Trump administration. During this process, CBS News, owned by Paramount, settled a lawsuit with Trump for $16 million over how it edited a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. Critics labeled the lawsuit as spurious, viewing the settlement as a form of bribery to facilitate the merger, while supporters argued that Trump was holding a liberal media outlet accountable for its actions.
Paramount CEO David Ellison announced a hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros. Discovery on Dec. 8. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Weiss’ defenders online argue that her suggestions for improving the story were reasonable. Reports indicate that Alfonsi’s segment did not include on-the-record responses from the White House, State Department, and Department of Homeland Security, further fueling the debate.
There is currently no evidence that Weiss made editorial decisions influenced by corporate or political pressures. Since her appointment as CBS News editor-in-chief in October, her tenure has been under scrutiny due to her background and opinions, particularly regarding her pro-Israel and anti-woke stances.
Alfonsi was also the correspondent behind a controversial “60 Minutes” segment in 2021 that alleged a pay-for-play scheme involving Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, which faced backlash from both Democrats and Republicans.
One thing is clear: if Weiss aimed to minimize attention on the story by delaying it, she miscalculated. The segment, which can be viewed here, has attracted far more scrutiny than it would have if it had aired as planned.
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Weiss and CBS News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital‘s requests for comment.
Fox News’ David Rutz and Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
Fox News media and political analyst Howard Kurtz joins ‘America Reports’ to discuss why CBS pulled a ‘60 Minutes’ report on the Trump administration’s deportations to an El Salvador prison.
Following CBS News’ decision to delay a “60 Minutes” segment that scrutinized the Trump administration’s deportation of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s CECOT prison, questions have arisen regarding the motivations behind this move. Some media outlets speculate that the delay may have been an attempt to curry favor with the administration amidst an escalating battle for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Recently, Paramount and its majority shareholders, the billionaire Ellison family, increased their bid for Warner Bros. Discovery to a staggering $108 billion. This comes at a time when WBD is negotiating a deal to sell its movie and streaming assets to Netflix, making Paramount’s bid appear hostile.
This week, CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss stirred controversy by delaying the airing of the “60 Minutes” segment about CECOT, a decision that was particularly unusual given that the network had already begun promoting the segment ahead of its anticipated Sunday night airing.
CBS INSIDERS WARN THAT SKYDANCE MERGER BRINGS ‘HALL MONITOR’ TO NEWS DIVISION
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss speaks onstage during a Book Club event with Peggy Noonan on Nov. 19, 2024, in New York City. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for The Free Press / Getty Images)
Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi interviewed Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration to the notorious prison for the segment, which leaked online after airing in Canada. Alfonsi expressed her frustration with Weiss in a memo to colleagues, labeling the decision as politically motivated and indicative of corporate censorship.
Weiss defended her actions, stating that she did not believe the story was ready for air and encouraged respectful disagreement among colleagues. In her notes regarding the segment, she called for more aggressive efforts to interview Trump officials and criticized a “strange” analysis of the prison by Berkeley students. While she did not advocate for scrapping the segment entirely, she emphasized the need for further reporting before it could be aired.
Liberal media figures have suggested that Weiss’ actions may be linked to corporate interests and the Ellisons’ connections to President Trump. A report from New York Magazine’s The Intelligencer indicated that the Ellisons are seeking favorable treatment from the Trump administration by censoring the segment. Larry Ellison, the billionaire father of Paramount CEO David Ellison and a Trump ally, has reportedly offered $40 billion of his own money to bolster the deal.
WARNER BROS BOARD SLAMS PARAMOUNT TAKEOVER BID AS SHAREHOLDERS FACE $72B NETFLIX CHOICE DECISION
According to the report, the Ellisons, among the wealthiest individuals globally, acquired Paramount earlier this year and are now targeting Warner Bros. Discovery. They hope that Trump will use his antitrust powers to block Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, allowing Paramount to take over instead, thereby creating a new media powerhouse.
Oracle co-founder, CTO and Executive Chairman Larry Ellison, accompanied by U.S. President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Jan. 21, 2025. (Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)
Despite these allegations, The Intelligencer noted that the Ellisons are “not yet on Trump’s good side,” suggesting that the president is still dissatisfied with “60 Minutes” for not being sufficiently flattering. Trump himself criticized the show on Truth Social, claiming it has treated him worse since David Ellison took over Paramount.
A report from The Intercept further accused Weiss of corporate interference in relation to Paramount’s bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. The outlet argued that Weiss’ decision to delay the segment exemplifies why David Ellison hired her in the first place.
According to The Intercept, Weiss’ role is to appease Trump, not as an end in itself, but as a strategy to undermine the Netflix-Warner Bros. Discovery merger and solidify the Ellison family’s media dominance while advancing their right-wing agenda.
Paramount has recently raised its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery to $108 billion. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images / Getty Images)
The report further claimed that Trump’s second term has seen a “total abandonment of antitrust law,” providing the Ellisons with an opportunity to consolidate unprecedented media control. The outlet suggested that Trump could leverage federal antitrust laws to favor the Ellisons in the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery.
KUSHNER FIRM DROPS OUT OF PARAMOUNT’S HOSTILE $108B WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY BID
According to The Intercept, Weiss and Ellison’s “interference” with “60 Minutes” is not merely about promoting “Trumpism,” but rather about advancing the Ellison agenda and expanding their media empire.
Earlier this year, Paramount completed an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, which required approval from the Trump administration. During this process, CBS News, owned by Paramount, settled a lawsuit with Trump for $16 million over how it edited a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. Critics labeled the lawsuit as spurious, viewing the settlement as a form of bribery to facilitate the merger, while supporters argued that Trump was holding a liberal media outlet accountable for its actions.
Paramount CEO David Ellison announced a hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros. Discovery on Dec. 8. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Weiss’ defenders online argue that her suggestions for improving the story were reasonable. Reports indicate that Alfonsi’s segment did not include on-the-record responses from the White House, State Department, and Department of Homeland Security, further fueling the debate.
There is currently no evidence that Weiss made editorial decisions influenced by corporate or political pressures. Since her appointment as CBS News editor-in-chief in October, her tenure has been under scrutiny due to her background and opinions, particularly regarding her pro-Israel and anti-woke stances.
Alfonsi was also the correspondent behind a controversial “60 Minutes” segment in 2021 that alleged a pay-for-play scheme involving Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, which faced backlash from both Democrats and Republicans.
One thing is clear: if Weiss aimed to minimize attention on the story by delaying it, she miscalculated. The segment, which can be viewed here, has attracted far more scrutiny than it would have if it had aired as planned.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Weiss and CBS News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital‘s requests for comment.
Fox News’ David Rutz and Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
