Rightward Shiftโ inโฃ U.S.Media Landscape Intensifies with CBS Appointment, Paramount Acquisitions, andโ Editorial Changes
NEW YORK – A growing conservative influence โis โฃreshaping the U.S. mainstream media landscape, โmarked by recent appointments, acquisition talks, and editorial decisions at prominent outlets including CBS, Paramount,โค The Washington Post, and Vanity Fair.
CBS News recently โคappointed Kenneth Weinstein, a figure โฃwith ties to Donald Trump and a โbackground in conservative think โtanksโฃ – specifically the Hudson Instituteโค – as head of public complaints. This โmove has raised concerns about potential government influence over news coverage, โขparticularly following criticism from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem regarding CBS’sโ “Face the Nation” program.
Simultaneously, Paramount’s new Chairman and CEO David ellison โคisโฃ reportedly negotiating to acquire โฃFreeโค Press, the media venture founded by former New York Times reporter Bari Weiss, and is considering a realignment โขof CBS news’ editorialโค direction. Adding toโค the shifts, Paramount removedโฃ an โฃepisode of South park that parodied conservative commentator charlie Kirk shortly after a reported incident involvingโฃ Kirk.
The changes coincide with a surge inโ viewership for right-leaning news โคnetworks. Since Trump’s re-election, News Corp‘sโ stock price has risen overโ 40%. News Corp โฃsecured 63% of full-day ratings and 65% of the prime time audienceโ in August, while CNN and MSNBCโ experienced โฃa 50% declineโ in viewership during the same period.Control of theโฃ family media business at News Corp has been solidified โby Lachlan Meadowsโ and his sisters, Chloe and Grace, who will maintain controlโ until 2050, with other family members receiving a โข$1.1 billion distribution.
The conservative โขtrendโข extends beyond โขtelevision โคnews. The โWashington Post,owned by Jeff Bezos,appointed Adam O’Neal,formerly of The Economist and The โขWallโ Street Journal,to oversee its commentary section,with a focus on โ”individualโค freedom and free โmarket” principles.
At Vanity Fair, a proposal by new Editor-in-Chief Mark Guiducci to โfeature โฃformer Frist Lady โMelania Trump onโ the cover sparked โฃinternal โคbacklash from staff.