This Power Struggle Over CNN Highlights The Extent to Which Dysfunctional American Journalism Truly Is.

This past Thursday night, amid swirling speculation regarding an incident at Brown University, the network's Kaitlan Collins took to social media, highlighting the uncertainty and pointing viewers to her network’s 9pm newscast.

Even though the network is hardly a perfect news source, her words seemed accurate for a lot of people. It stands as one of the broadcasters where you can find reality-based and mostly reliable reporting – notably during breaking news situations like the one developing close to a New Hampshire storage facility.

A Precarious State Amid a High-Stakes Battle

Yet the news network, now middle-aged, finds itself in a vulnerable state as two massive media empires compete for ownership of its corporate owner, Warner Bros Discovery.

Regardless of who wins, the destiny of CNN has turned into a high-risk game of business acquisition, rather than as a question of what helps the information-seeking public.

“Here is one more case of the fundamental flaws with origins in decades of governmental choices,” said Victor Pickard, author of “Democracy Without Journalism?” and a academic specializing in media policy at the University of Pennsylvania.

The conjecture about which company will control Warner Bros Discovery – will it be Netflix or Paramount Skydance? – misses a larger point.

“The narrative is crafted as a corporate drama with key players as the central actors, but there is very little discussion of the public interest,” Pickard said.

A Further Element: Donald Trump

The network's predicament is complicated by Donald Trump’s views about a network he has consistently labeled as perhaps his main “fake news” foe.

Recall the chants of “CNN sucks!” at Trump's rallies, his administration's retaliatory withdrawal of reporter Jim Acosta’s press credentials, or his tense exchanges with Collins in White House briefings.

Trump now claims that CNN needs new ownership. This can be interpreted as ownership that will protect him from negative coverage and examination. That is one reason why he seems to come down on the side of Paramount Skydance, which has made a unsolicited offer.

There is a basis to like that suitor more. For one thing, it is run by David Ellison, son of the pro-Trump Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people.

The company, parent of CBS News, also recently installed the right-leaning Bari Weiss, noted for her “anti-woke” beliefs, as the editor-in-chief of that storied news network.

An Outcome of Continued Turmoil

It is important to note, if Netflix prevails, CNN and other cable outlets would first be carved out into a separate entity. Such a move could be a welcome development to many at the network, but it’s far from a guarantee of stability. That setup could pave the way for CNN for another sale. It never ends.

According to Timothy Wu, a great deal of this is illegal, anyway. The prominent critic of big tech’s dominance wrote recently that anti-trust laws should prohibit both deals.

“Both acquisition attempts would be detrimental to the country, and both should be opposed by regulators,” Wu stated.

The Core Issue and a Potential Solution

No matter the outcome in this situation, the underlying crisis remains.

“What we have now is a highly anti-democratic system, but we shouldn’t give in to learned helplessness,” Pickard emphasized. Policy decisions – originating in the 1930s and 1940s – helped to create this overly commercial monster, and new policy decisions can fix it.

Is this likely in an era where the top communications regulator refuses to acknowledge that the agency is independent? Overhaul is highly improbable now, but that is not to say it will never happen.

Policies that bolster independent news organizations, aid local journalism, finance public media, and prohibit the consolidation of media power in a handful of hands are achievable – they are essential for a healthy democracy.

Regarding media ownership, larger is not superior. And news organizations like CNN must not be tools in the newest merger game.