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On Thursday evening, as rumors swirled concerning an incident at Brown University, the network's Kaitlan Collins used social media, noting the confusion and guiding the public to her network’s 9pm newscast.

Even though the network is hardly a impeccable news source, her message seemed accurate to many. It stands as one of the outlets where there exists grounded and mostly dependable reporting – particularly during fast-moving events such as the one taking place close to a New Hampshire storage facility.

An Uncertain State During a Corporate Tug-of-War

Yet the news network, now 45 years old, finds itself in a uncertain position as two huge media empires battle over ownership of its corporate owner, Warner Bros Discovery.

Whatever the outcome, the fate of CNN has become part of a major game of business acquisition, not as a question of what benefits the information-seeking public.

“Here is one more case of the fundamental flaws with roots in decades of governmental choices,” stated Victor Pickard, writer of “Democracy Without Journalism?” and a academic specializing in media policy at the Pennsylvania University.

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

“It gets presented as a business story with key players as the central actors, but there is very little discussion of the societal benefit,” Pickard explained.

The Additional Element: Political Influence

The CNN scenario is further muddied by Donald Trump’s opinions about a network he has frequently denounced as perhaps his chief “fake news” foe.

Think back to the shouts of “CNN sucks!” at Trump's rallies, his administration’s punitive revocation of reporter Jim Acosta’s press credentials, or his sparring with Collins in White House briefings.

Trump now says that the network requires new ownership. This can be interpreted as ownership that will shield him from negative coverage and examination. That is a factor in why he seems to come down on the side of Paramount Skydance, which has made a hostile bid.

Trump has reason to favor that company more. For one thing, it is run by David Ellison, son of the Trump-friendly Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people.

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

A Possibility of Continued Uncertainty

It is important to note, if Netflix prevails, CNN and other cable outlets would first be spun off into a independent unit. This might be a relief to many at the network, but it’s far from a safe harbor. That structure could set up CNN for a future sale. The cycle continues.

If you ask Timothy Wu, a lot of this is a violation of antitrust statutes, anyway. The influential voice of big tech’s dominance recently argued that anti-trust laws should disallow both deals.

“Either merger would be detrimental to the country, and both should be challenged by anti-trust authorities,” Wu stated.

The Core Challenge and a Way Ahead

No matter the outcome in this situation, the larger issue remains.

“What we have now is a very system hostile to democracy, but we must resist learned helplessness,” Pickard said. Policy decisions – from the 1930s and 1940s – helped to build this hyper-commercialized monster, and different policy decisions can fix it.

Is this likely in an era where the Federal Communications Commission chair will not confirm that the agency is independent? Reform is very unlikely now, but that doesn’t mean it will be impossible forever.

Measures that strengthen independent news organizations, reinforce local journalism, finance public media, and prevent the accumulation of media power in very few hands are achievable – they are essential for a robust democracy.

In the world of media ownership, bigger isn’t better. And news organizations including CNN cannot be pawns in the most recent merger game.