Paramount Refuses To Air Freedom Of The Press Foundation Ad Critical Of Warner Bros. Merger

[Reporter] Anyone watching Paramount Plus's livestream

of UFC Freedom 250 on June 14th

would've seen the surreal spectacle of mixed martial artists

fighting in a massive cage

installed on the White House lawn.

But what they wouldn't have seen

was a 30-second advertisement

blasting the $111 billion merger agreement

between Paramount Skydance and Warner Brothers Discovery.

That's because Paramount refused to air the ad.

According to the Freedom of the Press Foundation,

the nonprofit advocacy group

that submitted it to run during the event.

[Reporter] Trump calls reporters.

The enemy of the people.

[Reporter] The Founders disagreed.

Instead of defending press freedom,

CBS's billionaire owners

cut deals and caved to Trump.

[pensive music]

One fired reporter said,

CBS estimated falsehoods and bias to appease Trump.

Now, Trump wants the Ellisons to buy CNN too.

The sooner David Ellison takes over that network,

the better.

[Reporter] David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount Skydance

and the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison,

appeared alongside Trump at the UFC event.

It had the air of a victory lap,

but State Attorneys General

can still sue to block the acquisition of Warner Brothers.

And officials in California, New York and other states

are reportedly prepared to do just that.

Neither the White House nor Paramount

replied to a request for comment.

CNN declined to comment.