Paramount bidder Skydance vows to end DEI policies and create CBS News ombudsman

Skydance, the entertainment company set to take over Paramount in an $8 billion merger, told federal officials this week that it will hire an ombudsman who will review “complaints of bias” at CBS News.

The ombudsman will be in place for “at least two years,” Skydance general counsel Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon said in a letter addressed to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who was appointed by President Donald Trump.

In a pair of filings Tuesday to the FCC, which has regulatory oversight of the blockbuster deal, Skydance also pledged to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the media conglomerate.

The filings were published on the FCC's website Wednesday.

CBS News' editorial practices have come under intense scrutiny in recent months following criticism from President Donald Trump and his political allies. Trump accused CBS News' "60 Minutes" of deceptively editing an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election.

CBS denied the claims. Paramount ultimately agreed to pay $16 million to settle Trump's lawsuit. The FCC is also investigating whether the network engaged in "news distortion."

Trump’s allegations and the ensuing fallout roiled some high-profile employees inside CBS News. Bill Owens, the editor of "60 Minutes," stepped down in April, citing a loss of journalistic independence. CBS News chief Wendy McMahon left in May.

McKinnon, in her letter to Carr, said: "New Paramount's new management will ensure that the company's array of news and entertainment programming embodies a diversity of viewpoints across the political and ideological spectrum."

Skydance CEO David Ellison made similar promises to Carr in a meeting last week. He said he would focus on "American storytelling" and emphasized his "commitment to unbiased journalism," according to a letter included in a federal filing.

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Carr, responding to a question from a reporter at a public meeting Thursday, said he did not have an update on the timing of his office's merger review, but he characterized Skydance’s latest promises as “significant commitments.”

“They’re hitting on issues we need to see some big change on,” Carr said in part.

Ellison is the son of technology mogul Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle and an ally of Trump. David Ellison donated $929,600 to former President Joe Biden's re-election bid, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Trump signed an executive order in January looking to crack down on DEI initiatives at American corporations. In response, a wave of prominent American firms have pulled back on DEI programs.

The FCC is investigating Comcast, the parent company of NBC News, and Disney, the parent company of ABC News, over their DEI practices.