David Ellison’s CNN Challenge Is Already Here

On Thursday night, David Ellison was among Donald Trump's invited guests at a state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping. This marked a striking contrast to CNN's ongoing struggle with the Trump administration over its ability to cover the president. CNN had been barred from the White House grounds by Trump, but journalists eventually returned inside the network's building.

However, two of them were denied access to cover the arrivals at the state dinner. Ellison, who was about to take control of CNN as part of Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, was present at the dinner, highlighting the tension between the media company and the White House.

The acquisition of CNN and CBS News by Paramount raises questions about Ellison's approach to the network's journalistic independence. While there is no evidence that Ellison has sought to influence CNN's journalism during the current dispute, this week's events underscored the importance of maintaining editorial independence when a news organization's owner benefits from its coverage.

The network's recent battle with the White House over access to the president's events put the independence of CNN on display, and the outcome of this conflict could have significant implications for the future of CNN's coverage under Ellison's ownership.