FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
New York, June 16, 2026 — Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) revealed today that Paramount+ rejected an ad calling attention to President Donald Trump’s crooked meddling in media transactions to extract favorable coverage. The ad would have run on the platform during the same time as the UFC Freedom 250 event, broadcast live June 14 from the White House on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
The ad warns Americans about the proposed merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, which would place CNN under the editorial control of David Ellison, a Trump-aligned investor who has already made documented concessions to the administration as a condition of regulatory approval. As the ad shows, Pete Hegseth, Trump’s secretary of defense, has publicly declared that “the sooner the Ellisons take over that network, the better.”
The advertisement features recently fired “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley’s accusation that CBS — which Ellison’s company owns — demanded his stories include “falsehoods and bias” to appease the president. Paramount+ declined to air it.
“Ellison has already shown his cards on editorial independence, but in case there was any doubt, his company has now declined to air a straightforward message about what his proposed takeover of CNN, HBO, and other outlets would mean for press freedom,” said Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at FPF. “Ellison won’t air criticism of himself, his company, or his buddy Trump. That’s bad for press freedom, bad for the public, and bad for Paramount — just look at CBS’ recent struggles under Ellison’s watch. Billionaires who don’t respect the First Amendment should stay out of the news business.”
Stern added that Paramount, despite citing a conflict of interest in rejecting the ad, “apparently sees no conflict of interest in promising the Trump administration editorial concessions in exchange for merger approvals, in throwing fancy dinner parties honoring Trump while he attacks CBS and CNN journalists, or in airing a UFC event which functioned as an hourslong commercial for Donald Trump and Truth Social.”
The rejected ad opens with Trump calling reporters “the enemy of the people” and closes with a direct call to block the merger — a message Paramount+, the streamer owned by the very company seeking approval for that merger, chose to suppress.
You can watch the ad Paramount+ refused to air below. Please contact us if you would like further comment.
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