{"id":698188,"date":"2026-05-28T00:06:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T00:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/698188\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T00:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T00:06:11","slug":"laura-poitras-geeta-gandbhir-sound-alarm-over-paramount-wbd-merger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/698188\/","title":{"rendered":"Laura Poitras, Geeta Gandbhir Sound Alarm Over Paramount-WBD Merger"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tTwo respected documentary filmmakers are sounding the alarm over the prospect of Paramount<\/a> Skydance merging with Warner Bros.<\/a> Discovery, a corporate marriage that would combine CBS, CNN and HBO under one roof. <\/p>\n

\n\tOscar-winning director Laura Poitras<\/a> and Oscar-nominated helmer Geeta Gandbhir<\/a> raised concerns about the impact the merger would have on a weakened documentary ecosystem, editorial independence and access to archival materials during a press call organized by Freedom of the Press Foundation on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe event, also hosted by Democracy Defenders Fund, the International Documentary Association, Future Film Coalition and Free Press, focused on the threat that the merger could pose to journalistic freedom and documentary production. It\u2019s part of a larger attempt to oppose the $110 billion deal as it faces final regulatory hurdles. Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns<\/a> that Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has offered favorable press coverage in exchange for approval of the deal.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut in her remarks, Poitras \u2014 the filmmaker behind Citizenfour and last year\u2019s Cover-Up \u2014 focused on the impact on Hollywood filmmakers. Such a merger would be \u201cdevastating for the documentary community,\u201d she argued, explaining, \u201cWe already have seen consolidation, we already have seen broadcasters and streamers moving away from political content, and this would just mean less voices, less diversity, less content. It\u2019s awful for the communities, it\u2019s awful for filmmakers and creatives and it\u2019s terrible for the public.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe filmmaker argued that her critiques weren\u2019t a partisan issue. \u201cI think if Netflix was the one who was trying to make this deal, we\u2019d also be sitting here, raising questions about this merger,\u201d she said.
\u201cConsolidation of media is bad for the public, bad for creators, bad for the public\u2019s right to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGandbhir, who directed last year\u2019s The Perfect Neighbor, said that ongoing consolidation in Hollywood has already resulted in \u201cless competition, fewer places to pitch, more downward pressure and control over budgets, much less risk-taking and leading to broad, homogenized content which reaches an audience.\u201d In documentary specifically, \u201cNow broadly what sells is celebrity, true crime or sports and that is it. So challenging films, experimental films or films that don\u2019t appeal to the broadest possible base are being forced out of the marketplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGandbhir and Poitras previously went public with their opposition to the merger, having signed on to a starry letter<\/a> from 1,000-plus Hollywood figures pushing back against the deal. But with Wednesday\u2019s remarks, they went into detail on the deleterious impact they believe the consolidation would have on their field.<\/p>\n

\n\tGandbhir aired worries that Warner Bros. Discovery-owned HBO, which she called \u201can essential backbone for American documentary,\u201d would change course as a result of the merger. Noting how the Trump administration has cut funding to public media, she said: \u201cNow they have their sights set on HBO and CNN, as we know, two of the few remaining outlets that fund or require independent documentary films in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tShe pointed out that there\u2019s already been a chilling effect at major companies on distributing films on topics that might be considered political or controversial. While shopping her short The Devil Is Busy, about an Atlanta abortion clinic, Gandbhir said she was told by some executives that they wouldn\u2019t distribute a story on the topic of abortion. HBO released the film in 2025.<\/p>\n

\n\tAccess to archival materials may also be at stake in the merger, Gandbhir said. Many documentary filmmakers rely heavily on archival materials to tell their stories and access to that work can be denied or priced beyond reach, she said. Folding the CNN and CBS archives into one entity, \u201cwho has shown themselves to be active in editorial suppression is a great threat to documentary filmmakers,\u201d she argued.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a statement, a Paramount Skydance spokesperson said they \u201crespectfully disagree\u201d with allegations that the merger is anti-journalism or anti-competition. \u201cThe proposed transaction is fundamentally pro-competitive and reflects a commitment to invest in the future of journalism, not diminish it,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cFar from limiting competition or press freedom, the combined company will have greater scale and resources to compete in an increasingly consolidated media landscape dominated by global streaming and technology platforms \u2014 strengthening consumer choice, supporting creative talent and reinforcing the long-term sustainability of trusted news organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOver the course of the press call, other critics of the deal \u2014 journalists Kara Swisher, Jim Acosta and Katie Phang \u2014 also aired their reservations. The call followed the release of a letter <\/a>signed by more than 200 journalists, documentary filmmakers and academics opposing the Paramount-WBD merger.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe urge federal and state regulators and lawmakers, as well as Paramount shareholders and news consumers, to treat this merger not as an arms-length and above board business transaction, but as what it plainly is: a political arrangement to circumvent constitutional safeguards, with severe consequences for American democracy,\u201d the letter stated.<\/p>\n

\n\tMay 27, 1:24 p.m. Updated with Paramount Skydance spokesperson statement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two respected documentary filmmakers are sounding the alarm over the prospect of Paramount Skydance merging with Warner Bros.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":698189,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[49,48,75,178137,254486,337,9489,4432],"class_list":["post-698188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-geeta-gandbhir","tag-laura-poitras","tag-movies","tag-paramount","tag-warner-bros"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=698188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/698189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=698188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=698188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=698188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}