Ellison pledges to axe DEI in ‘new Paramount,’ says CBS News will showcase ‘varied ideological perspectives’ under new ombudsman

As the final FCC OK on Skydance’s merger with Paramount Global remains stalled, CEO David Ellison sat down with FCC chairman Brendan Carr to discuss key sticking points.

Out of that meeting, Ellison reportedly assured Carr, who was appointed by Donald Trump, that CBS News’ would use decision-making efforts that are reflective of “the varied ideological perspectives of American viewers.”

He also pledged that the network would appoint an ombudsman following the merger and said it would eliminate corporate efforts on diversity, equity and inclusion, commonly referred to as DEI. These types of programs are a common target of Republicans and, in particular, the Trump administration.

There was no immediate comment from Paramount, Skydance or Ellison about the reasoning behind these promises. 

However, given that the final FCC approval to transfer CBS’s owned-stations’ licenses to the new Paramount, came roughly a day after, it’s hard not to see Ellison’s reported pledges as a concession. 

This story has been updated to reflect news of the final approval of CBS’s TV station licenses.