Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that CNN would improve under David Ellison's ownership, fueling concerns about potential editorial shifts at the news network. Hegseth's comments came during a Pentagon briefing where he criticized CNN's coverage of Middle East military operations.

Ellison, who owns Paramount Skydance, is awaiting regulatory approval for his purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, which includes CNN. The deal has raised questions about the network's editorial independence, particularly given Ellison's friendship with President Trump and his recent appointment of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News.

Ellison has promised to maintain editorial independence at CNN, pointing to his approach at CBS. However, Weiss's controversial tenure at CBS—including postponing a critical '60 Minutes' report—has heightened industry concerns. Hegseth's endorsement of Ellison's potential ownership adds another layer of political complexity to the pending acquisition.