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Late Thursday, as rumors swirled about an incident at Brown University, the network's Kaitlan Collins posted on social media, noting the confusion and directing people to her channel's 9pm newscast.

Although it is by no means a perfect news source, her words seemed accurate to many. It is one of the outlets where you can find fact-based and generally reliable reporting – especially during fast-moving events like the one taking place in the vicinity of a New Hampshire storage facility.

An Uncertain State During a Business Tug-of-War

Yet the news network, now 45 years old, finds itself in a uncertain position as two huge media conglomerates compete for ownership of its parent company, Warner Bros Discovery.

Regardless of who wins, the fate of CNN has turned into a major game of mergers and acquisitions, not as a question of what serves the news-consuming public.

“This represents another instance of the profound systemic issues with roots in many years of governmental choices,” stated Victor Pickard, author of “Democracy Without Journalism?” and a media policy professor at the Penn.

The debate about which company will control Warner Bros Discovery – is it going to be Netflix or Paramount Skydance? – fails to grasp a larger point.

“It is often framed as a financial tale with influential figures as the main characters, but there is scant discussion of the public interest,” Pickard explained.

A Further Element: Donald Trump

The CNN scenario is further muddied by Donald Trump’s views about a network he has long portrayed as perhaps his primary “fake news” antagonist.

Recall the shouts of “CNN sucks!” at his rallies, his administration's retaliatory suspension of reporter Jim Acosta’s press credentials, or his clashes with Collins in White House briefings.

Trump now claims that CNN needs new ownership. You can read that as ownership that will shield him from journalistic oversight. That is part of why he appears to support Paramount Skydance, which has made a hostile bid.

He has grounds to favor that suitor more. For one thing, it is run by David Ellison, son of the pro-Trump Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people.

The company, owner of CBS News, also recently installed the right-leaning Bari Weiss, known for her “anti-woke” beliefs, as the lead editor of that venerable news network.

A Possibility of Further Uncertainty

Significantly, if Netflix wins, CNN and other cable outlets would first be separated into a separate entity. Such a move could be a relief to many at the network, but it’s hardly a secure position. That structure could position CNN for another sale. There is no finish line.

In the view of Timothy Wu, much of this is illegal, anyway. The influential voice of big tech’s dominance stated that competition laws should block both deals.

“Both acquisition attempts would be bad for the country, and both should be opposed by regulators,” Wu recently wrote.

The Core Issue and a Potential Solution

No matter the outcome regarding CNN, the larger issue remains.

“The present media landscape is a profoundly anti-democratic system, but we must resist a sense of powerlessness,” Pickard emphasized. Policy decisions – from the 1930s and 1940s – helped to foster this profit-obsessed monster, and new policy decisions can tackle it.

Will that happen in an era where the head of the FCC refuses to acknowledge that the agency is independent? Change is highly improbable now, but that is not to say it will never happen.

Policies that strengthen independent news organizations, bolster local journalism, finance public media, and outlaw the consolidation of media power in very few hands are within reach – they are vital for a robust democracy.

Regarding media ownership, larger is not superior. And news organizations such as CNN must not be tools in the latest merger game.