@passantino.bsky.social
Executive editor at @status.news. Email: jon at status dot news. Subscribe to the essential newsletter examining the media and power: status.news/subscribe 📬
@nataliekorach.bsky.socialReposted by @passantino.bsky.socialNew: An ABC News editor defended report on Trump’s sons’ investments before the story was deleted amid legal threats
New details undercut claims of a premature publication, Status learned, as staffers question the network’s response
@juddlegum.bsky.socialReposted by @passantino.bsky.social1. Trump’s new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is a prolific user of Truth Social where she regularly promoted Pizzagate and QAnon conspiracies, accusing elites in the Democratic Party and Hollywood of running child sex rings and eating people.
@passantino.bsky.social"The reported investigation appears to be a pretext for seeking records from the networks about how they are covering daily White House events during a media ban the president himself put in place."
@passantino.bsky.socialDavid Ellison owns 40% of these networks under investigation by the Trump administration—the very admin he just spent months courting to win the WBD merger. How will he respond?
@jayrosen.bsky.socialReposted by @passantino.bsky.social“Do you stand with CNN and our effort to completely restore access to covering President Trump?”...
“Of course,” Ellison replied. www.status.news/p/donald-tru...
I have been waiting for this.
Ellison and Trump are on a collision course, and that is where news coverage of the new CNN should begin.
@passantino.bsky.socialDavid Ellison told CNN staffers this week he “of course” supports the network’s legal fight against Trump’s White House ban. But after kowtowing to Trump, Ellison is now on a collision course with the president. Will he actually stand up?
My latest for @status.news
www.status.news/p/donald-tru...
@jeffdomingues.bsky.socialReposted by @passantino.bsky.social“So the question isn’t whether CNN owner David Ellison will say the right things. He’s shown he can do that. But will he show a backbone when those two interests inevitably collide?” -
@passantino.bsky.social
@brettlogiurato.bsky.socialReposted by @passantino.bsky.socialI wrote this week about the Skydance Squeeze. David Ellison has his empire, along with a (water) tower of debt. The next three years will likely be dominated by how to get it under control. www.status.news/p/skydance-d...
@status.newsReposted by @passantino.bsky.socialSkydance closed its Warner Bros. deal with a virtually unprecedented tower of debt. Cutting it to sustainable levels won’t be easy, experts told us.
Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/skydance-d...
@passantino.bsky.socialABC News deleted a story linking federal contracts to Trump’s sons and not explained why. The debacle has ignited a firestorm behind the scenes. Details in @status.news www.status.news/p/david-elli...
@hanaatameez.bsky.socialReposted by @passantino.bsky.socialFWIW @oliverdarcy.bsky.social + @passantino.bsky.social did a good job of holding Newton to account on this decision.
Newton framed leaving X as an experiment, but Oliver pulled receipts from 3 years ago where he said Platformer was leaving to be a moral publication that stood for something.
@danielnmiller.bsky.socialReposted by @passantino.bsky.socialHollywood has a new villain: Big Tech. Zuckerberg, Musk, Altman and Holmes are the subjects of new films — but taking on Silicon Valley gets complicated when studios do business with it. I spoke with Tom Rothman, Aaron Sorkin and others about these new bad guys: www.politico.com/news/2026/10...
@passantino.bsky.socialI went to Paramount studios today and asked David Ellison about his relationship with Trump and if he feels he has politicized the company.
His response: "We were in a transaction review process. But with that said, we are now turning that page.”
@oliverdarcy.bsky.socialReposted by @passantino.bsky.socialAt a press conference in Hollywood on Tuesday, @passantino.bsky.social directly confronted David Ellison about his coziness with Donald Trump.
"Do you think the company has been politicized?"
Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/david-elli...
@benmullin.bsky.socialReposted by @passantino.bsky.socialTo me, the most notable answer David Ellison gave during Q-&-A was to @passantino.bsky.social, who asked whether he politicized the company over the last year.
Ellison said: "We were in a transaction review process, but with that said, we are now turning the page."
@oliverdarcy.bsky.socialReposted by @passantino.bsky.socialSome NEWS from within David Ellison's first Skydance company town hall: During a panel moderated by Anderson Cooper, Ellison said he supports CNN's efforts to have access restored to cover Donald Trump.
@timkarr.bsky.socialReposted by @passantino.bsky.socialOn Friday, David Ellison posted a sizzle reel for his new media conglomerate, writes @passantino.bsky.social, "opening with the curious choice of a scene from James Cameron’s 'Titanic'—a film about overly confident wealthy people who set sail on an “unsinkable” ship."
@maxpotter.bsky.socialReposted by @passantino.bsky.socialA reporting detail deftly presented here by @passantino.bsky.social. Sometimes it’s seeing a detail anyone can see, but having the unique ability/perspective to recognize it in its most meaningful context.
@ndhapple.bsky.socialReposted by @passantino.bsky.socialWould be curious why the economics of late night are seemingly far more favorable at NBC, despite Fallon being stuck in last place.
@passantino.bsky.socialAre Dana Walden’s ominous comments about Jimmy Kimmel’s future on ABC an indication late-night is coming to an end, or a bluff from Disney amid contract negotiations?
The story in @status.news
www.status.news/p/jimmy-kimm...
