The Corporate Battle Over the Cable News Network Shows The Extent to Which Dysfunctional American Journalism Has Become.

This past Thursday night, while unconfirmed reports spread about an incident at Brown University, the network's Kaitlan Collins used social media, noting the confusion and pointing viewers to her channel's 9pm newscast.

Even though CNN is certainly not a flawless news source, her message resonated for a lot of people. It is one of the outlets where you can find fact-based and generally reliable reporting – especially during fast-moving events like the one unfolding in the vicinity of a New Hampshire storage facility.

A Precarious State Amid a Corporate Battle

But CNN, now four and a half decades old, finds itself in a uncertain situation as two giant media corporations battle over ownership of its parent company, Warner Bros Discovery.

Regardless of who wins, the future of CNN has become part of a high-risk game of mergers and acquisitions, not as a question of what helps the news-consuming public.

“This represents another instance of the deep structural problems with origins in decades of governmental choices,” noted Victor Pickard, author of “Democracy Without Journalism?” and a professor of media policy at the Penn.

The debate about who will own Warner Bros Discovery – could it be Netflix or Paramount Skydance? – fails to grasp a more important point.

“It gets presented as a corporate drama with influential figures as the protagonists, but there is very little discussion of the societal benefit,” Pickard added.

The Additional Layer: The Former President

The CNN scenario is made more complex by Donald Trump’s opinions about a network he has consistently labeled as perhaps his chief “fake news” foe.

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

Trump now says that CNN needs new ownership. This can be interpreted as ownership that will insulate him from journalistic oversight. That is part of why he appears to favor Paramount Skydance, which has made a aggressive takeover attempt.

He has grounds to prefer that bidder more. For one thing, it is controlled by David Ellison, son of the Trump-friendly Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people.

Paramount, owner of CBS News, also recently placed the conservative Bari Weiss, famous for her “anti-woke” beliefs, as the top editor of that venerable news network.

A Possibility of Continued Uncertainty

It is important to note, if Netflix wins, CNN and other cable outlets would first be carved out into a independent unit. Such a move could be a relief to many at the network, but it’s not exactly a guarantee of stability. That setup could position CNN for yet another acquisition. It never ends.

If you ask Timothy Wu, a great deal of this is against the law, anyway. The influential voice of big tech’s dominance stated that anti-trust laws should prohibit both deals.

“Each proposed deal would be detrimental to the country, and both should be challenged by regulators,” Wu argued.

The Fundamental Issue and a Potential Solution

Regardless of the resolution regarding CNN, the bigger problem endures.

“Our current system is a very system hostile to democracy, but we ought not succumb to a sense of powerlessness,” Pickard said. Regulatory choices – dating back to the 1930s and 1940s – helped to foster this hyper-commercialized monster, and new policy decisions can address it.

Will that happen in an era where the Federal Communications Commission chair will not confirm that the agency is independent? Change is very unlikely now, but that should not imply it will not happen in the future.

Initiatives that support independent news organizations, bolster local journalism, finance public media, and outlaw the consolidation of media power in very few hands are within reach – they are essential for a functioning democracy.

Regarding media ownership, bigger isn’t better. And news organizations like CNN cannot be pawns in the newest acquisition battle.