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This past Thursday night, amid swirling speculation regarding a shooting at Brown University, the network's Kaitlan Collins used social media, noting the confusion and pointing viewers to her channel's 9pm newscast.

While CNN is certainly not a flawless news source, her words seemed accurate for a lot of people. It is one of the broadcasters where one can locate reality-based and largely dependable reporting – particularly during breaking news situations like the one taking place near a New Hampshire storage facility.

A Precarious State Amid a Corporate Struggle

However the news network, now 45 years old, finds itself in a vulnerable state as two huge media empires vie for ownership of its parent company, Warner Bros Discovery.

Regardless of who wins, the future of CNN has become part of a high-stakes game of corporate ownership, instead of as a question of what helps the news-consuming public.

“This represents another instance of the profound systemic issues with origins in decades of governmental choices,” said Victor Pickard, writer of “Democracy Without Journalism?” and a media policy professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

The debate about which company will control Warner Bros Discovery – could it be Netflix or Paramount Skydance? – misses a more important point.

“It is often framed as a corporate drama with influential figures as the central actors, but there is scant discussion of the common good,” Pickard added.

The Additional Layer: Political Influence

The network's predicament is complicated by Donald Trump’s opinions about a network he has frequently denounced as perhaps his primary “fake news” adversary.

Think back to the chants of “CNN sucks!” at Trump's rallies, his administration’s punitive revocation of reporter Jim Acosta’s press credentials, or his tense exchanges with Collins in official meetings.

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

Trump has reason to like that bidder more. For one thing, it is led by David Ellison, son of the ally of Trump Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people.

The company, parent of CBS News, also recently installed the conservative Bari Weiss, noted for her “anti-woke” beliefs, as the lead editor of that storied news network.

A Possibility of More Turmoil

Notably, if Netflix is successful, CNN and other cable outlets would first be separated into a standalone company. Such a move could be a relief to many at the network, but it’s hardly a secure position. That structure could pave the way for CNN for yet another acquisition. There is no finish line.

In the view of Timothy Wu, a great deal of this is against the law, anyway. The well-known analyst of big tech’s dominance stated that competition laws should block both deals.

“Either merger would be harmful to the country, and both should be opposed by the government,” Wu stated.

The Fundamental Issue and a Potential Solution

Whatever happens in this situation, the larger issue endures.

“The present media landscape is a very structure that undermines democracy, but we shouldn’t give in to the belief that change is impossible,” Pickard emphasized. Government actions – from the 1930s and 1940s – helped to build this hyper-commercialized monster, and different policy decisions can tackle it.

Will that happen in an era where the head of the FCC will not confirm that the agency is independent? Overhaul is highly improbable now, but that should not imply it will not happen in the future.

Measures that bolster independent news organizations, aid local journalism, fund public media, and prevent the accumulation of media power in very few hands are achievable – they are essential for a functioning democracy.

In the world of media ownership, larger is not superior. And news organizations including CNN cannot be tools in the latest corporate chess match.