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As right-wing billionaires Larry and David Ellison enforce their grip over CBS, they’re also seeking to purchase Warner Bros., which owns HBO and CNN. Oracle, which Larry Ellison owns, is also poised to control TikTok’s algorithm if the US sale goes through.
We’re witnessing a new phase of media consolidation with explicitly political intent. This isn’t just about money. It’s about power and control over the information Americans consume. The Ellisons have cozied up to Trump, benefited from his antitrust leniency, and now stand poised to own a massive chunk of the nation’s media ecosystem.
As Don Lemon and I discussed, this would give them influence over key mechanisms that shape public perception — from TikTok to television — with potentially devastating implications for democracy.
That’s why investments in independent journalism matter more than ever.
I keep thinking about the over $1 billion raised by the Kamala Harris Campaign in 107 days. Clearly, there is grassroots and big donor pro-democracy money out here. Could you imagine if even a fraction of that kind of money were raised by independent media organizations?
People in the pro-democracy coalition, both big donors and grassroots, need to get more serious about how they support independent media. If independent media got the kind of investment that campaigns get during off-years, we’d be in a different info ecosystem right now.
The pro-democracy coalition needs to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset. Larger media organizations are consolidating, and the Trump Admin is clearly pressuring orgs to pursue mergers that will make them more right-leaning. We should respond to that by building and innovating.
This is why platforms like Substack and grassroots networks that can’t be easily bought or silenced are crucial. The antidote to right-wing propaganda isn’t despair — it’s direct support for truth-tellers willing to stand outside the system the powers that be are trying to corrupt.
If you value Don Lemon’s independent journalism, blunt truth-telling, and his relentless live coverage across multiple platforms, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to The Don Lemon Show here on Substack - and subscribe on YouTube.
