Overview

• The FCC voted 2–1 on July 24 to approve Skydance’s $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global, with the deal set to close in early August once a newsroom ombudsman is in place.
• Chairman Brendan Carr has dubbed the role a “bias monitor” and said it will ensure CBS News’s reporting meets standards demanded by President Trump.
• The agency pointed to a precedent in a past NBC-General Electric merger where an ombudsman safeguarded editorial independence.
• Commissioner Anna Gomez dissented, warning that the requirement imposes never-before-seen controls on newsroom decisions and editorial judgment.
• The oversight condition reflects Carr’s involvement in the conservative Project 2025 initiative and its Christian nationalist underpinnings, prompting broader concerns over ideological influence.