"This is one of those moments in Donald Trump's presidency when an event that would otherwise be recognized as a death knell for democracy somehow fails to elicit the outrage it deserves. Warner Bros. Discovery owns CNN, whose coverage Trump views as hostile to his administration. So he is abusing the government's merger-approval power in order to insist that the next owner of the venerable outlet mold its journalism to his liking."
"Recent history is a study in false promise. After the explosion of cable and the internet in the 1990s-technologies that promised radical decentralization-the media sector reconsolidated. Google and Meta devoured the advertising market that once sustained journalism: The United States now has just three newspapers that provide deep, authoritative national coverage; local outlets have closed by the thousands. Six television streaming services command nearly 90 percent of the audience-and, no matter which bidder Trump favors, those six stand to become five."
Donald Trump is leveraging merger-approval power to pressure prospective buyers into weakening CNN, turning ownership decisions into political bargaining. Media consolidation has intensified since the 1990s as cable and the internet reconsolidated the sector. Google and Meta captured advertising revenues that once funded journalism, leading to dramatic local newsroom closures and only a few authoritative national newspapers. A small set of streaming services commands nearly the entire audience, increasing vulnerability to coercion. High industry debt loads and regulatory exposure make media conglomerates especially susceptible to political pressure that can reshape editorial independence.
Read at The Atlantic
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