Under the Ellison family’s control, CBS News has morphed into friendly territory for Donald Trump. Now, with the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger approved, CNN is about to join the former Tiffany Network in Bari Weiss’s playground.

If you thought things couldn’t get any worse for legacy media, think again. The Ellisons are reportedly looking to bring other investors into the fold. And according to Semafor, Elon Musk is at the top of their list.

Musk and the Ellisons share more than an affinity for Trump. They have done business together for years.

Musk has also shown interest in owning a news outlet himself. In November 2024, Donald Trump Jr. tagged him in an X post about Comcast supposedly selling MSNBC: "Hey Elon Musk, I have the funniest idea ever!!!" Musk replied, "How much does it cost?"

To state the obvious, Musk’s involvement in the new Paramount-Warner Bros. would be terrible news.

Musk's control of X already gives him outsized power over public opinion: whether we realize it or not, he shapes what we see, hear, read and think on the platform. Under his leadership, X has become riddled with hate and misinformation. Handing Musk even a sliver of power over CNN and CBS News would pour kerosene on this active, blazing fire.

Then there is Musk himself. Once someone who claimed to vote for Democrats and spoke of solving the climate crisis, he now uses his megaphone to peddle conspiracy theories, spread racist rhetoric, and energize the most hateful pockets of Donald Trump’s base.

In fact, his influence in Trump’s orbit briefly earned him a leadership position as the co-head of the misnamed Department of Government Efficiency.

I have my own personal issues with Elon Musk. Last year, Musk tweeted that I am “undermining civilization” and said I suffered from “generational trauma.” I responded with an open letter — letting Musk know that he does not scare me.

I will not back down.

That is why I founded Democracy Docket.

For democracy to survive, we need institutions willing to fearlessly stand up to the likes of Trump and Musk. We need platforms that will not cower to bullies and tyrants.

Democracy Docket has no corporate overlord. It has no private equity or venture capital investors. It doesn't rely on Trump or his cronies for approval. In fact, it wears their scorn as a badge of honor.

There’s also another way Democracy Docket is different from the legacy media: we don’t hide our reporting behind a paywall.

Our news coverage is free. Our YouTube videos, social media content and podcasts are free. Our daily newsletter is free.

This structure is core to our mission. We believe everyone should have access to the critical news coverage, insights and analysis that we provide.

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Our premium members power our mission, and as a thank you, they get access to additional content, including my regular opinion pieces, exclusive events and discounts. But their importance to democracy goes well beyond that.

If you can’t become a member right now, I understand. Thank you for being part of our community.

But if you can, and you want to support independent, pro-democracy media that will never back down or obey, upgrade to a premium membership today.

The fight for democracy is long and hard. It starts with access to accurate information. Providing that is Democracy Docket's mission every single day.