Marc Elias Accuses David Ellison of Courting Trump, Citing 28% Media Trust
Updated
Updated · Democracy Docket · Aug 10
Marc Elias Accuses David Ellison of Courting Trump, Citing 28% Media Trust
1 articles · Updated · Democracy Docket · Aug 10
Summary
Marc Elias published an open letter arguing David Ellison is seeking Donald Trump’s approval to advance his Warner Bros. Discovery ambitions, not acting as an independent media steward.
CBS changes anchor the critique: Elias says the network canceled Stephen Colbert’s late show and later blocked an interview with Texas state Rep. James Talarico, moves he portrays as politically motivated.
Bari Weiss’s appointment to lead CBS News and what Elias calls the gutting of “60 Minutes” are presented as evidence that Ellison’s leadership is already reshaping editorial standards in Trump’s favor.
Nearly $1 million in past donations to Joe Biden, Elias argues, show business opportunism rather than ideology, saying Ellison shifted with political power after Trump’s return.
The letter casts the dispute as bigger than one merger, tying it to public distrust in legacy media—just 28% trust it, Elias notes—and warning that oligarch influence threatens democratic accountability.