Hundreds of Journalists, Academics, Filmmakers Sign Letter Opposing Paramount Takeover of CNN: ‘Threatening Press Freedom’

“News segments critical of Trump policies have been pulled; revered producers and reporters have quit rather than be censored; shows Trump dislikes, like ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,’ have been cancelled; and CBS Evening News has taken to airing flattering features on Trump officials, like one calling Secretary of State Marco Rubio the ‘ultimate Florida man,’” the letter said.

“With this track record, Ellison will likely alter CNN’s editorial direction (not to mention meddle with HBO’s documentaries) to be more friendly to the administration, threatening press freedom,” the letter added.

The letter further pressed regulators and lawmakers to regard the Paramount’s purchase of Warner Bros. as a “political arrangement to circumvent constitutional safeguards, with severe consequences for American democracy.”

Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta signed the letter along with former ABC and CBS News correspondent Judy Muller, and Oscar-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras.

David Elison told CNBC in March that editorial