The Sad Way Trump’s War with CNN Could Keep Cable Cheaper

President Donald Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner reportedly met recently with Time Warner executives to complain about CNN’s coverage of the president. Any visit from a White House official seeking to stifle journalists is disturbing. But Time Warner, which owns CNN, has another problem that’s all tied up in presidential politics.

The cable and entertainment giant is seeking to sell itself to AT&T, a mega-merger that would require federal approval. At this point, thanks to Kushner’s visit, any move by the Department of Justice or the Federal Communications Commission to block the merger would end up looking political. That’s too bad, because there are plenty of good reasons to be skeptical of the deal. AT&T could hike the rates that other pay TV providers have to pay to provide channels like HBO and CNN. It could refuse to license that content to streaming video services. It could give Time Warner an edge over competitors on its wireless network by exempting its content from data caps. All that stands to get lost in Trump’s petty war on the press.