CBS Appoints Trump Ally Kenneth Weinstein as Network Ombudsman Following Merger Pressure

CBS News appointed Kenneth Weinstein, a former Trump ambassador nominee and Hudson Institute conservative, as the network’s ombudsman following the Paramount-Skydance merger. The appointment came after Trump’s Justice Department and FCC applied regulatory pressure to the merger, and Trump settled a $20 billion lawsuit against CBS for $16 million. Weinstein’s role as ‘bias watchdog’ is unprecedented for a major broadcast network and represents editorial interference designed to shift coverage in Trump’s favor. The timing suggests the ombudsman position was a condition of obtaining regulatory approval for the merger, demonstrating how Trump uses government power to force media companies to install loyalists in editorial oversight positions. This creates internal censorship mechanisms where journalists must justify coverage to Trump allies, chilling investigative reporting on corruption and abuse of power.