Bari Weiss, the previous New York Instances opinion columnist who’s since constructed a profession crusading in opposition to “cancel culture” and the left’s supposed excesses, will probably be CBS Information’ new editor-in-chief, its dad or mum firm, Paramount, introduced Monday.
Paramount, which was simply acquired by Skydance in a Trump administration-approved merger, can even purchase Weiss’ Free Press, the publication she initially launched on Substack after leaving the Instances in a huff in 2020, accusing the younger “wokes” on workers of “bullying” her and silencing extra conservative voices.
The Free Press deal is value $150 million, The Wall Avenue Journal studies.
Weiss will report on to Paramount Skydance Chief Government David Ellison. Tom Cibrowski will proceed to function president of the information community and report back to George Cheeks, Paramount’s chairman of TV Media.
“Bari is a proven champion of independent, principled journalism, and I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News,” Ellison mentioned in a press release.
“We believe the majority of the country longs for news that is balanced and fact-based, and we want CBS to be their home,” he continued.
PATRICK T. FALLON by way of Getty Photographs
In the meantime, in a piece posted on The Free Press’ web site, Weiss described her outlet’s acquisition by Paramount as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“It gives The Free Press a chance to help reshape a storied media organization — to help guide CBS News into a future that honors those great values that underpin The Free Press and the best of American journalism,” she added.
Forward of July’s Skydance-Paramount merger, which required approval by the Federal Communications Fee, Ellison’s firm promised the Trump administration it could carry “unbiased journalism” and “diverse viewpoints” that mirror the “varied ideological perspectives of American viewers” to CBS Information ― strongly indicating a shift towards extra Trump-friendly protection.
The corporate additionally mentioned it could get rid of any range, fairness and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and set up an ombudsman to watch any alleged bias at CBS Information.
These guarantees adopted Paramount paying President Donald Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit he introduced in opposition to the corporate over an episode of CBS Information’ “60 Minutes” that he claimed, with out proof, was deceptively edited to flatter then-Vice President Kamala Harris forward of the 2024 election. Within the lead-up to the settlement, prime editorial leaders at CBS Information resigned, and Democrats urged Paramount to not settle, saying it could set a harmful precedent.
Weiss’ ascension to CBS Information’ prime job is in keeping with these concessions. She’s railed in opposition to DEI, claimed the Me Too motion has gone too far, printed content material undercutting studies of famine in Gaza and performed a pleasant interview with Peter Thiel on her podcast.
Criticism seems to gas Weiss’ rage. In 2018, when she was known as out for implying that California-born Olympic determine skater Mirai Nagasu was an immigrant, she refused to apologize and complained on Twitter, now X: “For this tweet I am being told I am a racist, a ghoul and that I deserve to die.” The pushback, she proclaimed, was a “sign of civilization’s end.”
