The lone Democratic member of the Federal Communications Commission issued a scathing rebuke Thursday as the $8 billion Paramount-Skydance merger officially closed, calling the deal “a dark moment in our nation’s history” that compromises journalistic independence.
Commissioner Anna M. Gomez condemned what she termed “cowardly capitulation” by Paramount Global, which agreed to a $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump and accepted unprecedented government oversight of CBS News operations to secure regulatory approval.
Read: Paramount Pays Trump $16 Million to Settle ’60 Minutes’ Lawsuit
“This will be a new company, born in shame after trading away fundamental First Amendment principles in pursuit of pure profit,” Gomez said in a statement released as the merger became final.
The deal creates “New Paramount” under the control of Skydance Media CEO David Ellison, combining CBS, Paramount Pictures and other major media properties. But the path to approval required controversial concessions that critics say threaten press freedom.
Most notably, the merged company agreed to install what Gomez called a “government-sanctioned ‘truth arbiter'” at CBS News — an ombudsman tasked with monitoring coverage for alleged bias against the Trump administration.
“Their role will be to ensure that journalists at CBS do not criticize this Administration or express views that conflict with its agenda,” Gomez warned. “That should alarm anyone who values the core democratic principle of a free and independent press.”
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The company also pledged to eliminate all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and conduct a comprehensive review of CBS operations.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, welcomed the changes in July, saying, “Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly. It is time for a change.”
But Gomez argued the precedent threatens broader media independence.
“Sadly, this will not be the end of this Administration’s campaign of intervention in media to silence critics, gain favorable coverage, and impose ideological conformity on newsrooms that should remain independent,” she said.
The controversy began with Trump’s lawsuit against CBS over the network’s editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign. Though CBS called the suit meritless, Paramount agreed to settle rather than risk the merger’s approval.
The FCC approved the transaction in a 2-1 party-line vote in July, with Gomez casting the sole dissenting vote.
“Because if the First Amendment is to mean anything at all, it must mean that no government—regardless of party—gets to decide what is true, who gets heard, or which voices are silenced,” Gomez concluded.
The merger was first announced in July 2024 after months of negotiations. Skydance, owned by David Ellison, son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, will invest $1.5 billion into the combined company.
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