‘Hacks!’ Kara Swisher Vows to Leave CNN If Ellisons Buy It
CNN Kara Swisher has promised to leave the network if Paramount Skydance successfully acquires its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, during an event at Syracuse University on Monday.
Swisher’s comments came after the professor Marguerite Talev concluded by asking a question: “So, speaking of business, we talked about what political journalists are, how they might adjust the way they cover the beat to adapt to the news in terms of technology. There is also the journalism sector, which is very influenced by technology, by AI, by fragmentation due to social media, but also…”
“By buying media by tech billionaires,” Swisher interjected before asking, “Do you understand what they’re doing?”
She started to praise Scott McFarlanewho was master of ceremonies at the event, for having left CBS News, recently bought by Larry And David Ellison as part of the Paramount Skydance merger. McFarlane announced Monday that he is joining MeidasTouch, a progressive media company that began as a Democratic political action committee.
“Scott, good decision. You’ll love being here, it’s much better. You don’t want to work for the Ellisons, I spent a lot of time with them. Larry Ellison and he’s a terrible person,” Swisher insisted.
“OK, so you recently said that you would leave CNN if Paramount won the auction for Warner Bros. perhaps as soon as the new series aired,” Talev observed after speaking again. “So, is this a sure thing? Is there any scenario you would stay in anyway?”
“I don’t see how,” Swisher replied.
“Why? Tell us,” Talev implored.
Swisher complied:
Well, it’s interesting, because they called me. They were very kind. They say, “Hey, Kara, good show with Matt Belloni.” They’re making a lot of friends with me at the moment, which is a shame, it’s not going to work. It won’t happen for you, as I say. They…, I don’t think they’ll be good owners. No, I don’t. I think they have already shown several times – including in their editorial choices, which Scott knows better than me, even though I know a lot, Scott – that they are not interested in journalism. And I refuse to work for an organization that does not respect journalists. And I don’t mean don’t cut. Look, I left journalism because I realized the costs were too high and I could make a lot more money if I did it in a more efficient, more digital way. And I think a lot of historical organizations have been very stubborn about understanding what’s going on. It’s not my problem. There have to be cuts. The costs don’t match the audience, do they? That’s how it is. That’s not how we do it.
There is a fundamental disregard for this, as for anything useful. That there is no other way to reform it than by hiring someone who is not a journalist. I’m sorry, I don’t…, I have no reason to do this. And in a way, I don’t have to because I started my own media organization where I make a lot of money. So I don’t have to do it. And so for me to stand up and say: I don’t work for you, I just don’t, and it’s not worth it to me. Especially in the world of business, of television, where the public goes like that and ages like that. So I’m doing direct-to-consumer things a lot better. And so it doesn’t hurt me because I can walk to MS if I want to have a TV, I can walk anywhere else. But it doesn’t matter because I’m reaching, right now, Rotate has a bigger demo in the 25-45 range than any primetime cable network, right?
Watch above via C-SPAN.
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