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The biggest media story so far in 2026 has been Paramount Skydance acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, which includes CNN.

But, at the end of the day, while Paramount and CEO David Ellison are getting CNN, the cable news network isn’t among their top priorities.

On the latest episode of “The Poynter Report Podcast,” Axios media correspondent Sara Fischer tells me, “I think CNN is at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of what they’re focused on. I think the most important thing for them is, in the short term, getting regulatory approval. And then, in the medium term, how they maximize synergies and opportunities in combining the companies. I know they want to combine the tech stacks of their streamers. That is a very, very top priority for them.”

So, yeah, don’t expect all kinds of massive changes at CNN the moment Ellison is handed the keys to Warner Bros. Discovery. As Fischer tells me, it’s scale, sports rights and streaming ambitions that are driving the deal.

But, eventually, Ellison will get around to CNN. Be sure to check out my conversation with Fischer on the entire deal, what it could mean for CNN, and, in a shift of topics, the future for journalism on Substack in and in newsletters.

Aside from watching on YouTube, you can also find the show on Apple, Spotify, and most places where you find podcasts.

No spin zone

The New York Times editorial board published a scathing editorial on Tuesday, criticizing President Donald Trump for getting into a war without a strategy and apparently having no strategy to get out of it in “Trump Can’t Spin His Way Out of This War.”

The board wrote, “The war has become an exemplar of Mr. Trump’s chaotic, ego-driven approach to the presidency. He has relied for advice on a smaller circle of aides than past presidents did when ordering military action and eschewed the careful process intended to call attention to objections and potential problems. He has made ridiculous and contradictory public statements, including a claim that the war has nearly achieved its goals. He has tried to mislead the world about the tragic deaths of dozens of Iranian schoolchildren, which were caused by a mistargeted American missile. Almost daily, he demonstrates why he cannot be trusted with the most consequential matters of government.”

The board did note that the war has had some tactical successes and acknowledged that Iran’s government is “distinctly dangerous.”

However, the Times board also pointed out the pitfalls and that the first few weeks “do not inspire confidence. … They instead suggest that the behind-the-scenes planning in the White House might have been as reckless as its public behavior.”

Wild story

This is among the wildest journalism stories you’ll ever hear.

It started on March 10, when an Iranian missile struck Beit Shemesh, a city just outside Jerusalem. No one was injured. Emanuel Fabian, a military correspondent for The Times of Israel, reported on the explosion.

Later that day, Fabian received an unusual email, in Hebrew, from someone named Aviv, who asked him to update and correct his story to say it was “an interceptor fragment, not a full missile” that hit Beit Shemesh.

Fabian wrote back and politely said it appeared to be a missile and that “Normally, a fragment does not produce such an explosion.”

A day later, Fabian received another email, also in Hebrew. This one came from someone calling themselves Daniel, who also wrote about the attack. After an exchange back-and-forth, Daniel also asked that the story be corrected, adding, “If you could correct this tonight, you would be doing me and many others a great favor.”

How odd, Fabian thought, that people would care about whether it was a missile or an interceptor and wanted him to change his story.

Daniel sent more emails, as did an anonymous emailer, who wrote, “Is the article about March 10 interception gonna get updated?” Soon, Fabian started receiving threats to himself and his family.

What the heck was happening?

Turns out, Fabian’s initial reporting had set off a controversy regarding bets on the prediction market Polymarket on whether an Iranian missile would strike Israel on March 10. Millions of dollars were believed to be at stake. More and more people emailed him.

Fabian, 28, wrote a first-person account about it all in “Gamblers trying to win a bet on Polymarket are vowing to kill me if I don’t rewrite an Iran missile story.”

Fabrian wrote that this past weekend, he started receiving threatening messages in Hebrew on WhatsApp from someone called Haim.

The messages, in part, said, “You have exactly half an hour to correct your attempt at influence. Despite the fact that you received countless inquiries — you insist on leaving it that way.”

It continued, “If you do not correct this by 01:00 Israel time today, March 15, you are bringing upon yourself damage you have never imagined you would suffer.”

A separate message said, “You have no idea how much you’ve put yourself at risk. Today is the most significant day of your career. You have two choices: either believe that we have the capabilities, and after you make us lose $900,000 we will invest no less than that to finish you. Or end this with money in your pocket, and also earn back the life you had until now.”

And another said, “You are choosing to go to war knowing that you will lose your life as you’ve grown accustomed to it — for nothing.”

Those were followed by even more, according to Fabian. He eventually alerted the police. Then he got another message: “You have 90 minutes left to update the lie. If you do this — you solve in a minute the most serious problem you have caused yourself in life. And you won’t remember me anymore in a week. If you decide not to correct it, and leave the lie intact, you will discover enemies who will be willing to pay anything to make your life miserable — within the framework of the law. And as far as I know, there are also some people who don’t really care about the law, and you’re going to make them lose about 50 times what you’ll ever make. 86 minutes left. You are the only one responsible for your life.”

Fabian wrote on Tuesday that the police are still investigating.

Polymarket denounced the threats against Fabian, telling The Times of Israel, “Polymarket condemns the harassment and threats directed at Emanuel Fabian, or anyone else for that matter. This behavior violates our terms of service and has no place on our platform or anywhere else. Prediction markets depend on the integrity of independent reporting. Attempts to pressure journalists to alter their reporting undermine that integrity and undermine the markets themselves.”

As if journalism in general and reporting specifically on war isn’t dangerous enough. CNN’s Brian Stelter wrote, “These attempts feel inevitable in a system where news itself is now something people can bet on, potentially turning reporters into targets for anyone with $$$ on the line.”

Where are the pom poms?

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, shown here on Super Bowl week in February. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is unafraid to speak his mind when it comes to sports. For example, he has taken on some of the biggest names in the business, including LeBron James.

Smith is also fearless when it comes to speaking his mind about politics, and his latest criticism is directed at another big name — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth has long been critical of the media, even though he came from the media. He used to be a Fox News host before being handed one of the most critical jobs in our country. His attacks on the media have ramped up in recent weeks after the U.S. began its war with Iran. Hegseth’s biggest complaint is that the media isn’t positive enough. He even suggested the media reports on American deaths and other tragic events of the war to “make the president look bad.”

In another press conference, Hegseth said, “You, and I mean specifically you, the press, you cheer against Trump so hard, it’s in your DNA and in your blood to cheer against Trump, because you want him not to be successful so bad, you have to cheer against the efficacy of these strikes. You have to hope maybe they weren’t effective.”

Smith had enough. He retweeted a portion of Hegseth’s bellyaching about the press and then wrote: “So…….Questions can’t be asked? We can’t be skeptical about anything, having legitimate questions about what is happening, why and how effective or efficient we’re being? To do such a thing is simply because of TDS? Hegseth never ceases to amaze. Why not just ask the press to wear Pom poms!”

Smith has toyed with the idea of running for president in 2028 as a Democrat, although he had been critical of the Democratic Party. It seems unlikely that he will actually run. He recently told Sean Hannity that he probably wouldn’t run. But his stance seems to change from week to week, if for no other reason than to get a buzz going.

More notable journalism regarding Iran

• The Associated Press’ David Bauder with “Trump team applying pressure to media: Tell the war’s story the way we see it.”
• The Washington Post’s Ellen Nakashima, Tara Copp and Dan Lamothe with “First senior official openly breaks with White House, resigns over war.”
• The Associated Press’ Bill Barrow with “What to know about the resignation of Joe Kent as Trump’s counterterrorism chief.”
• The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum with “Everyone but Trump Understands What He’s Done.”
• Louis Jacobson of Poynter’s PolitiFact with “Has the US ‘destroyed 100% of Iran’s military capability’? Fact-checking President Donald Trump.”
• News analysis from The New York Times’ Jim Tankersley: “Why Won’t Europe Help Trump in Iran? Let’s Count the Reasons.”

Voice of America employees reinstated

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the more than 1,000 Voice of America employees put on administrative leave by the Trump administration be returned to work. This reverses attempts by the Trump administration a year ago to gut VOA.

In March 2025, Trump signed an executive order to pretty much dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA and other broadcasters. In addition, Trump put twice-failed Republican political candidate Kari Lake in charge of USAGM without Congressional confirmation.

Two weeks ago, a federal judge ruled that Lake’s appointment was invalid. U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth granted summary judgment to a group of VOA employees who sued Lake last year.

On Tuesday, Lamberth again sided with VOA in a pair of related lawsuits — one filed by VOA’s sidelined director, Michael Abramowitz, and another by three USAGM employees.

The Washington Post’s Scott Nover wrote, “(Lamberth) ruled that the near-total shutdown of USAGM, which oversees VOA and funds several international broadcasters such as Radio Free Asia, violated federal administrative law. He ordered the full-time employees to return to work by March 23 and told the agency to resume international broadcasting, which it has mostly abandoned during the past year — save for some airing in languages such as Farsi.”

Nover added, “Lamberth, a Ronald Reagan appointee, criticized the government’s ‘flagrant and nearly year-long refusal’ to uphold statutory requirements set by Congress and lambasted Kari Lake, the Trump official who oversaw the dismantling of the agency.”

The plaintiffs in one of the suits — Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat and Kate Neeper — put out a statement calling Lamberth’s ruling a “monumental decision.”

They added, “We are eager to begin repairing the damage Kari Lake has inflicted on our agency and our colleagues, to return to our congressional mandate, and to rebuild the trust of the global audience we have been unable to serve for the past year.”

Rising up

The Washington Post’s losses could be someone else’s really big gains.

Robert Allbritton, the billionaire media entrepreneur who started Politico, is now the publisher of Notus — News of the United States — which is based in Washington. Allbritton tells The Guardian’s Jeremy Barr that he plans on doubling the staff of 50 by the end of the year, and it’s expected that many of the new hires will come from among the hundreds of journalists recently laid off by the Post.

Allbritton told Barr, “Opportunity knocks, and you’re going to decide if you’re going to answer the door or not. I’m always the one that says: ‘Look, if an opportunity like this comes up, you ought to go on ahead and see what you can do with it and take it on full throttle, because these things don’t come along very often.’”

According to Barr, Notus recently added longtime Post political columnist Dana Milbank, Congress reporter Paul Kane and chief economics correspondent Jeff Stein.

Allbritton said, “Look, we don’t want to be the Washington Post, but I think there’s a place for the journalism of the Post and the mission of the Post without a lot of the legacy expenses that were necessary when your organization was a print-based organization, and they’re just not necessary today.”

Barr wrote, “The publication’s name, Notus, will change in the near future. Allbritton said he is working with trademark attorneys and is in touch with some trademark owners to see what is available. He said he’d like to have ‘Washington’ in the name if possible.”

Ask me anything!

Do you have questions about what’s happening at CNN or The Washington Post? What’s going on in the Bari Weiss era at CBS News? Sports journalism? Even “Vanderpump Rules” and “Southern Charm?”

Join me for an Ask Me Anything on Instagram Live on Thursday, March 19 at 4 p.m. Eastern. I’ll answer your questions about the media, how the industry is changing, what we do at Poynter and anything else you’ve been curious about but didn’t know who to ask.

Submit your questions here or in the chat on Thursday.

Media tidbits

• Variety’s Brian Steinberg with “‘CBS Evening News’ Viewership Drops Below 4 Million After Tony Dokoupil’s Colorful Start.” Steinberg wrote that 4 million is “a critical demarcation point that previously spurred alarm at the Paramount Skydance news division. CBS News recently scrapped a version of ‘CBS Evening News’ anchored by Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson after the program shed audience and fell below 4 million viewers on many weeknights.”
• The Washington Post’s Scott Nover with “The Ellisons are building a media empire. Trump keeps cheering them on.”
• The New York Times’ Katie Robertson with “Wired’s New Editor Doesn’t Care if the Tech Bros Are Mad.”
• Tennessee Lookout’s Anita Wadhwani with “Nashville journalist arrested by ICE granted bond, remains detained while feds considers appeal.”
• Axios’ Sara Fischer with “NBC News partners with Joanna Stern to elevate tech coverage.”
• Mediaite’s Sean James with “NBC News Digital Bucks Industry Trend With +8% Traffic Surge — Closes In On Leader CBS.”
• The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin tweeted that Axios announced it is laying off 11 people across national and local teams, including on the news desk, visuals and social media. Check out Mullin’s tweet to read the memo from Axios publisher Nicholas Johnston.

Hot type

• The New York Times’ Jesse Green with “The Man Who Would Go Anywhere. Is there anyone John Lithgow can’t — or won’t — play?”

More resources for journalists

• Deadline day: Audit your crime coverage, implement a sustainable newsroom policy and learn to do more meaningful work with fewer resources. Apply now.
• New editors: Get guidance from industry veterans and build the skills you need to become indispensable to your newsroom. Apply now.
• Get the tools, mentorship and peer community to turn your non-fiction book idea into a publishable proposal. Apply for our workshop today.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at tjones@poynter.org.

The Poynter Report is your daily dive into the world of media, packed with the latest news and insights. Get it delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday by signing up here. And don’t forget to tune into our biweekly podcast for even more.