California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned that CNN's future under Paramount is a concern and described the U.S. information ecosystem as 'broken' amid rampant misinformation. He said those concerns shaped a settlement that cleared Paramount's roughly $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and requires a five-member News Editorial Independence Board for CNN and CBS News. Critics question the board's authority because Paramount's board will appoint its members; Bonta denied political pressure influenced the settlement.
California AG Rob Bonta Warns CNN’s Future Under Paramount, Calls U.S. Information Ecosystem 'Broken'
Rob Bonta speaks to TheWrap's founder and editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman at the 2026 Grill conference (Credit: TheWrap)
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he is 'concerned' about CNN's future under Paramount and highlighted editorial-independence safeguards included in the settlement that cleared Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Settlement And Editorial Safeguards
Just over a week after leading a coalition of 12 state attorneys general to settle an antitrust lawsuit aimed at blocking Paramount's roughly $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, Bonta explained that his concerns about news independence helped shape the deal. The agreement requires Paramount to create a five-member News Editorial Independence Board to oversee CNN and CBS News.
The board must be established within 180 days of the merger closing and is to be composed of current or former journalists charged with resolving specified disputes between newsroom staff and management. However, critics have questioned how much real authority the board will have, noting that Paramount's board of directors will select its five members.
Bonta's Broader Concerns
'I care about our information ecosystem. It's broken,' Bonta said at TheWrap's TheGrill conference, citing widespread misinformation and disinformation. 'Of course I'm concerned about it.'
Bonta said those concerns informed settlement provisions that aim to protect editorial independence at CNN and CBS News and secure commitments to 'journalistic integrity' and 'fact-based, non-biased, objective reporting.' He also noted that his worries about CNN predate the settlement, pointing to earlier remarks this summer expressing alarm over the network's future under Paramount.
Political Pressure And Next Steps
Addressing questions about political influence, Bonta denied that external pressure from California Governor Gavin Newsom or Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass affected the decision to settle. He said the attorneys general reached the agreement after Paramount began addressing the antitrust concerns raised by the states.
Underlying Bonta's statements is a broader warning about the state of U.S. news and public discourse: without a shared factual baseline, he argued, the country will struggle to find solutions to major problems. 'We don't share the same facts,' he said.
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