CNN boss Mark Thompson insists he ‘really committed’ to network
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CNN CEO Mark Thompson insisted Wednesday that he remains committed to the network despite an impending ownership change that has employees worried about their future.
Netflix approached Warner Bros. last month after the company said it was “superior” to its latest bid to acquire all of Paramount’s assets, including CNN. He withdrew his offer to buy Discovery. The sale to Paramount would put David Ellison, the media mogul who has a close relationship with President Donald Trump and angered liberals when he appointed Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News, to head CNN. As a result, CNN employees were nervous about what the future would hold for the struggling network, but Thomspon said he planned to stick around to find out.
“I’m really committed to CNN,” a network official told Fox News Digital during a Zoom meeting with international staff.
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CNN CEO Mark Thompson insisted Wednesday that he was committed to the network. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Discovery)
“I’m in the middle of something exciting and interesting with you all,” he continued. “And I would like to continue that.”
The Status newsletter, which first published Thompson’s comments, added that “several hosts and on-air journalists questioned him about maintaining editorial independence under Paramount’s ownership.”
A CNN insider recently told Fox News Digital that staffers are feeling “a mixture of despair, anxiety and curiosity” as the sale to Paramount approaches.
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David Ellison, chairman and chief executive officer of Paramount Skydance Corp., walks from Statuary Hall toward the State of the Union address during the Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on February 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump delivered his speech just days after the Supreme Court struck down the administration’s tariff strategy and amid a U.S. military buildup threatening Iran in the Persian Gulf. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“Look, I think this is a place that’s been through a lot. There’s been a lot of mergers in the last decade. There’s been a lot of ‘new’ starts,” a CNN insider said.
“I think there’s an underlying fear of mixing two news divisions,” they continued. “Who will be canned?”
CNN has struggled in the ratings department in recent years, and Ellison has shown he’s not afraid to shake up a legacy organization with significant changes to CBS. CNN employees are known to have turned on former CEO Chris Licht after he tried to quell CNN’s partisanship that marked the Jeff Zucker era. Thompson replaces Licht in 2023.
While Thompson has said he’s committed to CNN, it’s unclear whether Paramount feels the same way about its current network boss. Paramount did not immediately respond when asked for comment.
Thompson had previously tried to allay concerns by sending an encouraging note to CNN staff last month.
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CNN boss Mark Thompson attempted to allay concerns by sending an encouraging note to CNN employees last month. (Sanjit Das/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Despite all the speculation you’ve read along the way, I encourage you not to jump to conclusions about the future until we know more. Second, let’s not forget our duty to our viewers,” Thompson wrote in the memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
“We are near the beginning of what has already been an incredibly heralding year at home and abroad, culminating in the crucial US midterm elections and who knows what else,” he continued. “Let’s continue to focus on delivering the best possible journalism to the millions of people around the world who trust us.”
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Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
