BLOCK THE PARAMOUNT/WBD MERGER
Thanks to the flurry of recent efforts (many led by free speech warriors on this list!), the merger has gone from feeling inevitable to at risk - please help build the pressure!
Last week, Trump-friendly tech billionaire Larry Ellison moved one step closer to a massive MAGA media company merger. But opposition is growing, and it’s definitely not a "done steal" yet.
We need to build the momentum to block this merger. Here’s how you can help:
Do your thing - mobilize your networks, shout about this in a way that feels relevant to your community, help raise funds for this so far very scrappy effort.
Support the AG-focused strategy: Ask your members and supporters to send an email urging state Attorneys General to block the merger or sign this petition to AGs.
Post to social media accounts and tag state AGs thanking Attorney General Rob Bonta (CA, @AGRobBonta) and Attorney General Leticia James (NY,
@NewYorkStateAG) for investigating this deal and urging them to bring a vigorous case to block it. A full list of AG social media handles for tagging can be found here.
Other suggestions & engagement most welcome! This is a moment to stand up for what we actually DO want, in addition to blocking this specific awful merger.
Additional background:
For anyone just getting caught up … Larry Ellison is the founder of Oracle and one of the 10 richest people on the planet. In the past year he became one of the owners of the U.S. TikTok spinoff and the largest shareholder of Paramount Skydance which owns Paramount Plus and CBS News, and where his son, David Ellison, is CEO. He is a huge backer of both Trump and Netanyahu. Last week, the Ellisons got a step closer to acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns HBO and CNN, when Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders voted to approve the merger.
The Ellisons’ plan to remake CBS and CNN into a MAGA mouthpiece is now painfully obvious. Last week after Warner Brothers shareholders approved the merger, the Ellisons hosted and honored Trump at a private gala. And before the attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Editor in Chief Bari Weiss hosted Pete Hegseth as headliner for their pre-dinner party.
Resistance to this merger is growing. A broad coalition of pro-democracy, free press and first amendment advocates has come together in just a few weeks, with groups including Democracy Defenders Fund, Future Film Coalition, The Writers Guild of America, Committee for the First Amendment, Public Citizen, International Documentary Association, Free Press, Freedom of the Press Foundation and Center for American Progress. Over 4,700 entertainment industry professionals – from grips, sound mixers, and make-up artists to producers, directors and A-list celebrities have signed an open letter opposing the merger. Hundreds of thousands of people signed a petition to state AGs urging that they sue to block the merger under state antitrust authority. State AGs in California, New York, and elsewhere are investigating the merger and may very well sue to block it.
Please help us encourage State AGs to block this merger to preserve and foster a vibrant and independent media and entertainment ecosystem.
