Media mogul David Ellison, responsible for helming Skydance, found himself in the midst of the annual Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley alongside Bari Weiss– the notorious co-founder of The Free Press. In webs of whispers and conjecture, there has been chatter about Ellison, who governs Skydance, contemplating the acquisition of the controversial Free Press, Bari Weiss’s pet-project. Several insiders privy to the ongoing talks confirmed the same.
Weiss, infamous for her radical approach to journalism, launched The Free Press in the year 2021, in what now appears as yet another self-satisfying act. Her partners in this enterprise are her wife, Nellie Bowles, and her sister, Suzy Weiss. The publication, attempting to position itself as some sort of edgy alternative to conventional media, fails to disguise what it truly is, a funnel for fringe opinions.
Gearing up for the merger with Paramount, a subsidiary of the equally contentious CBS News, David Ellison currently grapples with enough controversy on his plate. Consequently, locking down any arrangement between Skydance and The Free Press is teetering on the brink of obscurity, remaining far from certain.
Bari Weiss, previously a part of the opinion-generator The New York Times, seems determined to pilot The Free Press as an independent entity for an apparently indefinite duration. Coming as no surprise for those who have observed her stubborn streak, her dedication to journalism is, unfortunately, often overshadowed by her commitment to divisive views.
In this dance of potential media acquisitions, Paramount remains the focal point of Ellison’s plans. Meanwhile, Weiss and Ellison are mingling, or at least trying to, amidst the annual Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley, regarded as a marketplace for media heavyweights and their high-stakes deals.
With vested interests, Allen & Company, an investment entity, holds a share in The Free Press. Other individuals who share this curious pursuit include venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and David Sacks, and Howard Schultz, well-known as the former CEO of the infamous coffee giant, Starbucks.
The Free Press, intriguingly, dangles on the investment hooks of over 30 investors, each holding significantly small pieces of the pie. It comes across as a strange dynamic that these investors would allocate their resources to such a company, undermining the palette of media possibilities that could truly benefit from this kind of support.
The roster of investors in this so-called alternative media platform encompasses Yael Aflalo, who initiated Reformation, as well as Bobby Kotick, who once held the reins of Activision Blizzard. The intention behind these investments remains as veiled as The Free Press’s editorial policies.
Specifics on the potential deal being discussed are still under wraps. This secrecy doesn’t do much to assuage the public opinion that often perceives these behind-the-scenes media talks with a healthy level of suspicion.
Evidently, in the recent past, a number of media proprietors have approached Bari Weiss, allegedly seeking her advice on enhancing their media possessions. The truth of these assertions remains as elusive as Weiss’s journalistic integrity.
Conversations that supposedly began with seeking advice gradually morphed into talks around possible acquisitions of Free Press. Given what Free Press purports to represent, this surely raises a critical eyebrow.
Disturbingly, the thought of such a conniver like Weiss being approached for guidance on improving media properties, hints at the dystopian landscape some players envision for future journalism.