NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Liberal CNN contributor Kara Swisher has doubled down on her vow to leave her network if Paramount is successful in its takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
Speaking Monday at Syracuse University’s Toner Prizes for Excellence in Political Reporting celebration, Swisher criticized tech billionaires like Oracle founder Larry Ellison and his son, Paramount’s new owner David Ellison, who buys media companies.
He turned to the event’s emcee, Scott MacFarlane, a former CBS News reporter who announced earlier in the day that he had joined the far-left outlet MeidasTouch, telling him, “Go well.”
“You’re going to love it here. It’s so much better,” Swisher told MacFarlane. “You don’t want to work for the Ellisons. I spent a lot of time with Larry Ellison, and he’s a bad guy.”
MOOD ‘SOITING’ INSIDE CNN AS STAFF CONTINUES SHIFTING BETWEEN POSSIBLE PARAMOUNT TAKEOVER, INDIVIDUALS SAY
CNN contributor Kara Swisher has doubled down on her vow to leave the network if Paramount successfully takes over Warner Bros. Discovery. (Rick Kern/Getty Images for Vox Media)
Swisher was asked by Syracuse University’s Margaret Talev if his comments in December were “a sure thing” or if he could find a way to stay with the network with David Ellison as its new boss.
“I don’t see how,” Swisher replied, adding that Paramount executives had contacted him.
“It’s interesting because they kept calling me. They were so nice. ‘Hey Kara, great show with Matt Belloni.’ They’re very friendly to me right now, which is like – it’s too bad. It won’t work. It’s not going to happen to you, like I said,” Swisher said.
“I don’t think they will be good owners. I don’t see,” he continued. “I think they’ve shown several times, including editorial choices, that Scott knows very well … that they don’t care about journalism. And I refuse to work for an organization that doesn’t respect journalists.”
CNN’S ABBY PHILLIP SAYS TOOK ‘FULL RESPONSIBILITY’ FOR MAMDANI FLUB
Kara Swisher criticized tech billionaires who are taking over media companies like Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, who has a financial stake in Paramount’s upcoming takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The liberal journalist went on to say that he “didn’t have to” stay at CNN as he founded his own for-profit media organization.
“So for me to stand up and say, ‘I don’t work for hacks. I just don’t. And it’s not worth it to me’… I do a lot better in the consumer type of thing,” Swisher added.
Paramount did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. CNN declined to comment.
NETFLIX BACK IN WARNER BROS BED WAR AFTER PARRAMOUNT MAKES ‘TOP’ OFFER
Major owner David Ellison tapped Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News and acquired his outlet, the Free Press, for $150 million. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images; James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images; Noam Galai/Getty Images for The Free Press)
Liberals expressed anger at the prospect of the Ellisons, who have close ties to President Donald Trump, taking over CNN over Paramount’s $111 billion bid for the network’s parent company. The younger Ellison ruffled industry feathers when he appointed Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News and founded his digital publication the Free Press.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
