No, The Guardian, NPR, and CNN are not controlled by the same people

What's the claim?

A post on X (formerly Twitter) claims that "The Guardian, NPR, and CNN are all controlled by the same people and have the same script" following the October 17 interview of U.S. Presidential candidate Kamala Harris. 

Harris' interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier gained widespread attention in domestic and international media, as well as on social networks. She is also the U.S. vice president since 2021.

The viral post notes similar wording in the headlines of three articles about the interview and includes a photo of the headlines, all describing the interview as "testy."

The post has gone viral with 26.8 million views. X owner Elon Musk reshared it, commenting, "Who sends the commands to the NPC media puppets? They should really use a thesaurus, so that every media outlet doesn't use the EXACT SAME words every time." His post has reached 26.4 million people.

However, upon investigation, we found that the post is misleading. The media outlets—The Guardian, CNN, and NPR—are not run by the same people. They are three distinct organizations, each with its separate ownership and structure. The use of similar jargon in the headlines is not evidence of shared ownership, as the viral claim suggests.

In Fact

The Guardian, NPR, and CNN all published articles about the interview, each using the word "testy" in their headlines and emphasizing similar key points.

Screenshot of headlines with each article using the word "testy." (Source: The Guardian, CNN and NPR)

However, the articles are largely original, with only a small amount of text being identical or paraphrased, indicating they were written independently. Using Copyleaks, a plagiarism detection platform, we found no major identical content to support the "same script" claim.

The comparison of the articles published by CNN and The Guardian showed us that both articles share less than one percent of identical content, while 90.8 percent of the text is original to each article.

Screenshot of comparison of articles CNN (left) and The Guardian (right). (Source: Logically Facts)

Additionally, upon comparing the articles published by CNN and NPR, we found that the two articles share 4.8 percent identical content, while 83.9 percent of the text is original. The similarities mainly consist of direct quotes taken from the interview.

Screenshot of comparison of articles of CNN (left) and NPR (right). (Source: Logically Facts)

Furthermore, the comparison of all three articles shows a similarity of 24.3 percent, with 75.7 percent of the original text.

Screenshot of comparison of all three articles. (Source: Logically Facts)

While the articles refer to the same interview, resulting in some overlap in the topics and quotes, there is no clear evidence of direct copying. Each outlet differs in phrasing, tone, and focus.

CNN and NPR, as U.S. outlets, cater to a domestic audience with a different political awareness. In contrast, the U.K. outlet The Guardian writes for a British audience. In the published articles, CNN highlights policy debates and Republican support for Harris; NPR emphasizes her appeal to moderate Republicans; and The Guardian critiques Fox News’ right-wing influence, emphasizing Harris’ criticism of Trump and discussing her polling ties in swing states. 

Who's in charge of these media outlets?

The Guardian operates independently of NPR and CNN. It's owned by the Guardian Media Group, solely controlled by the Scott Trust Limited (STL). Its board includes chairman Ole Jacob Sunde, with 30 years at Schibsted Media Group, and Editor-in-Chief Katharine Viner, who has a long history at The Guardian.

The Guardian has confirmed to Logically Facts that it does not formally collaborate with NPR or CNN. 

NPR is an independent, non-profit media organization headed by President and CEO Katherine Maher and Board Chair Jennifer Ferro. Neither of them has any prior affiliation with CNN or The Guardian. 

In addition, CNN is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Sir Mark Thompson, CNN's chairman and CEO, oversees global operations and serves as editor-in-chief. He has no known ties to The Guardian or NPR.

Logically Facts also contacted NPR and CNN to ask if they formally cooperate with each other or The Guardian. However, the organizations have not yet responded to the inquiry. We will update the article once we receive their replies.

The verdict

Although the articles from The Guardian, NPR, and CNN refer to the same interview and use similar wording in their titles, they do not replicate each other or use the "same script." There are no known links between the ownership or management of these media outlets. The claim is misleading.