Most traditional media have long held a more left-leaning tone, but that’s changing.
From on the ground reporting to the top executives, more conservative voices are making their way into the long-established outlets. Major changes may not be felt yet from those less involved in the media landscape, but let’s take a look at how these outlets might be making a shift to the right—and why.
One of the biggest changes began when the family of Larry Ellison, a billionaire buddy of President Donald Trump, took control of Paramount and, in turn, CBS News. It didn’t take long for top-down changes to begin. First, they tapped Kenneth Weinstein, the former head of conservative think tank Hudson Institute, to oversee public complaints as CBS News’ ombudsman.
Larry Ellison, chairman and chief technology officer of Oracle Corporation and now Paramount.
Soon after, Bari Weiss, the controversial creator of The Free Press—decribed as a “less shrill version of the anti-woke alarmism that permeates the right-wing media”—was brought on as CBS News’ editor-in-chief.
And while it’s all still hearsay, Weiss and her team are reportedly considering a move to bring Fox News on-air talent to CBS News should “CBS Mornings” anchor Gayle King make her primetime exit when her contract runs out next year.
Over at the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post, though, matters have been moving more right for quite some time.
In February, the billionaire Amazon founder axed the Post’s balanced opinion section, informing readers and staff that they would only be publishing op-eds that address “personal liberties and free markets.” According to Bezos, the internet did enough supplying of other viewpoints.
Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos
But months later, Bezos passed the editorial mic to MAGA’s administration. One of the many former Fox News hosts who has turned into a Trump lackey, Jeanine Pirro, defended the president’s decision to invade Washington with the National Guard.
National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya also took a spot on the Post’s homepage to argue in favor of ending research on the mRNA vaccine. To give you an idea where his loyalties lie, Bhattacharya’s wedding was officiated by Vice President JD Vance.
The New York Times has also faced plenty of criticism for its apparent softening on the Trump administration, both during his first and current administration. But if that wasn’t enough, the Times also has columnist Ezra Klein platforming far right conspiracy theorists like Ben Shapiro.
And Time Magazine caved to the president after his role in securing a flimsy peace deal between Israel and Hamas. When Trump wasn’t satisfied with how he looked on the cover, the magazine changed its entire cover photo to appease him.
CNN may be next, it seems. As the network is heading toward the buyers market, the Ellison family reportedly has the traditionally liberal outlet in their crosshairs.
Now, the solemn, or comforting, fact of all of this is that legacy media doesn’t have the same editorial sway that it used to, especially now that social media and independent reporting has a seat at the table.
However, these behemoth media outlets do control one aspect of news—what the world is focusing on. So as opinions and angles may differ across markets, an Ellison-controlled conservative media machine might be able to decide what they’re talking about.
As for why this shift is happening, there are a few possibilities.
Given Trump’s many multimillion dollar lawsuits against media outlets, a softer approach may just be the way to avoid lofty legal fees.
Fox News Chairman and CEO and Wall Street journal owner Rupert Murdoch
After all, the president managed to squeeze $16 million out of Paramount, the parent company of CBS, while also coming after The New York Times and Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal for its reporting on the Epstein files.
In an unsurprising turn of events, Trump even appeared on the very show he clawed millions out of for editing an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. On Nov. 2, the president spent a whopping 90 minutes on “60 Minutes,” where he was even given the gift of an edited interview.
“Actually, ‘60 Minutes’ paid me a lot of money, and you don’t have to put this on, because I don’t want to embarrass you, and I’m sure you’re not,” Trump said during the “60 Minutes” interview.
In what critics said was an attempt to avoid said embarrassment, CBS cut that part of Trump’s segment. However, the full version made its way out of CBS later anyway.
Then again, these companies—and their millionaire or billionaire owners—might just be looking at what they perceive as a conservative call for news representation.
In recent years, there has been a growing demand for conservative media as well. This need was ultimately cornered by Fox News’ sensationalized conservative sway that changed broadcast journalism into the sexualized entertainment network it is today, especially for its female Fox News hosts.
And with more conservatives abandoning more left-leaning media outlets, a change of political values might be on their fiscal table.
But no matter the way you spin it, the underlying message stands true: Legacy media is just another business, and they will always protect their bottom line.
