# Press Freedom Group Says Paramount Blocked an Ad Attacking Its Own Warner Bros. Merger

> The Freedom of the Press Foundation says Paramount refused to run a 30-second spot questioning its Warner Bros. takeover and David Ellison's closeness to Trump, calling it a blow to press freedom.

**Type:** article · **Category:** America · **Published:** 2026-06-16 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/america/apane-hi-vilaya-ki-alochana-vala-vijnapana-paramount-ne-prasarita-karane-se-kiya-1298 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Paramount Warner Bros merger, David Ellison, Freedom of the Press Foundation, CNN press freedom, Trump media, Scott Pelley CBS, Skydance Media

An advertising campaign built to question Paramount's proposed merger with Warner Bros. never made it onto screens. According to the Freedom of the Press Foundation, the nonprofit advocacy group behind it, that is because Paramount declined to run the spot, which the group had submitted to air during Sunday's UFC event.

## What the spot actually said
The rejected 30-second ad shows Trump branding journalists "the enemy of the people," and raises the prospect that Paramount chairman and CEO David Ellison, widely seen as a Trump ally, could pressure CNN, the flagship news network of Warner Bros., into softening its coverage of the president and his administration.

The spot pointed to an April story in The New York Times reporting that Ellison hosted a private party in Trump's honor while Paramount was still waiting for its proposed takeover to be approved. That approval came from the Justice Department on Friday.

## Scott Pelley's pointed accusation
The ad also quoted Scott Pelley, who was recently dismissed from 60 Minutes amid a backlash over changes at Paramount-owned CBS News, changes steered by Ellison and the network's editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss. Pelley claimed the new executive leadership wanted him "to inject falsehoods and bias" into his reporting in an attempt to "curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration."

## The warning hanging over CNN
The FPF ad cautions that if the Paramount-WBD deal proceeds, CNN's journalists could soon find themselves under the same kind of corporate pressure. It cites Trump's backing of the acquisition and a March remark from defense secretary Pete Hegseth: "The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better." Notably, Ellison's father, Larry Ellison, the billionaire founder of the software company Oracle, also supports Trump and has been instrumental in building the family's media empire, including their majority stake in Paramount.

The ad's voiceover ends with a rallying line: "Let's stop Trump's censorship and block this merger." An on-screen link pointed viewers to an FPF web page where they could send letters to their members of Congress demanding an investigation into "Trump-Paramount corruption." (Disclosure: TrendKia global editorial director Katie Drummond sits on the FPF board of directors.)

## 'Billionaires should stay out of the news business'
"Ellison won't air criticism of himself, his company, or his buddy Trump," said Seth Stern, FPF's chief of advocacy, in a statement about the rejected ad. "These antics are bad for press freedom, bad for the public, and bad for Paramount—just look at CBS's recent struggles under Ellison's watch," he added, referring to the upheaval that has gripped the network ever since the Ellisons' Skydance Media completed its acquisition of Paramount last August. "Billionaires who don't respect the First Amendment should stay out of the news business."

## Questioning the 'conflict of interest' defense
FPF says Paramount turned down the ad by citing a conflict of interest. Stern brushed that reasoning aside as hypocritical, given the tight bonds between the media giant, the Ellisons, and Trump. He said Paramount "apparently sees no conflict of interest in promising the Trump administration editorial concessions in exchange for merger approvals, in throwing fancy dinner parties honoring Trump while he attacks CBS and CNN journalists, or in airing a UFC event which functioned as an hours-long commercial for Donald Trump and Truth Social."

Neither the White House nor Paramount responded to a request for comment. CNN declined to comment on the matter.

## The merger is not home free
David Ellison's appearance beside Trump at Sunday's UFC event carried the feel of a victory lap. Paramount had locked up exclusive broadcast rights to the sport last year in a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal. Even so, state attorneys general can still go to court to block Paramount's blockbuster Warner Bros. acquisition, and officials in California, New York, and other states are reportedly gearing up to do exactly that.

Even if such a move only delays the deal's close by a few months, that delay could stretch through a pivotal midterm election cycle, precisely when Trump and his loyalists will be hungry for all the favorable press they can find.

## What this means for you
This story shows how major media mergers can shape the news you end up watching.

- **For viewers:** If networks like CNN and CBS fall under one owner's pressure, the independence and fairness of the news you receive could be affected.
- **For investors:** State lawsuits could delay this multibillion-dollar deal by months, keeping uncertainty hanging over stocks tied to Paramount and Warner Bros.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Which ad did Paramount refuse to run?
A 30-second spot made by the Freedom of the Press Foundation that criticized Paramount's merger with Warner Bros. and David Ellison's closeness to Trump.

### 2. When was the merger approved?
The Justice Department cleared Paramount's proposed takeover on Friday.

### 3. What did Scott Pelley allege?
Pelley, who was fired from 60 Minutes, said the new leadership wanted him to inject falsehoods and bias into his reporting to win favor with the Trump administration.

### 4. Can the merger still be stopped?
Yes. Attorneys general in California, New York, and other states are reportedly preparing to sue to block the deal.

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