Bari Weiss has a new home.
The anti-establishment journalist is now the editor-in-chief of storied CBS News. David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance has hired Weiss and acquired The Free Press, the conservative-friendly news site Weiss founded after leaving The New York Times’ opinion section.
Paramount announced the news on Monday morning. The editor-in-chief role is a new position for CBS News, reporting to Ellison.
Paramount said in a statement that Weiss “will shape editorial priorities, champion core values across platforms, and lead innovation in how the organization reports and delivers the news.” It’s not immediately clear what level of involvement Weiss will have in the newsroom’s day-to-day operation and who will report to her. Paramount said Weiss “will partner with CBS News President Tom Cibrowski.”
The Free Press “will maintain its own independent brand and operations, and continue to do reporting, video and audio podcasts, and events,” Paramount added.
“Bari is a proven champion of independent, principled journalism, and I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News,” Ellison said in a statement. “This move is part of Paramount’s bigger vision to modernize content and the way it connects — directly and passionately — to audiences around the world.”
Not all CBS News staffers will be giving Weiss a warm welcome. Business Insider spoke with five current and former employees across CBS News and Paramount who said they had hesitations about Ellison’s decision to bring on Weiss.
Some staffers were already on edge after Paramount settled President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against “60 Minutes” in July for $16 million. Now, they worry Weiss’s arrival could further entangle the newsroom politically.
“The general sense is, ‘This can’t be happening,'” said a high-ranking journalist at CBS News, who doesn’t think hiring Weiss would pay off since she doesn’t have a background in TV. Weiss has worked on the editorial sides of The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. It’s worth noting that NBC News President Rebecca Blumenstein also came from those two newspapers without a background in TV.
One CBS News reporter was optimistic that Ellison’s appointment of an editor-in-chief could signal that the news organization is prioritizing digital at a time when its TV audience is steadily shrinking. This person also questioned whether Weiss is qualified for the role.
“This partnership allows our ethos of fearless, independent journalism to reach an enormous, diverse, and influential audience,” Weiss said in a statement. “We honor the extraordinary legacy of CBS News by committing ourselves to a singular mission: building the most trusted news organization of the 21st Century.”
A CBS News culture clash?
A cultural commentator like Weiss seems like “quite an odd choice” to lead CBS News, said Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst at the media nonprofit Poynter Institute. CBS News is not overtly partisan but faces trust gaps across the political spectrum. Less than a quarter of Republicans trust the network, and Democrats view it less favorably than its peers, according to the Pew Research Center.
CBS News is hierarchical and grounded in history, said a longtime “60 Minutes” employee who left earlier this year. By contrast, Weiss is a contrarian who “likes to go rogue” and is highly opinionated on hot-button issues, like Israel’s involvement in Gaza, they said.
“How does she engender trust with the journalists she’s trying to oversee?” the former “60 Minutes” veteran said.
While the Free Press appeals to some conservatives, it’s not a far-right site. Weiss and Co. have criticized Trump and his allies, including when the FCC pressured local ABC affiliates into deplatforming Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show.
“If they wanted a beloved-by-MAGA person, I’m not sure she’s it,” Edmonds said.
In fact, Weiss is divisive precisely because she’s not overtly partisan, said media analyst Alan Wolk, who cofounded TV research firm TVREV.
“She’s demonized by both sides,” Wolk said.
In any case, hiring Weiss shortly after installing right-leaning ombudsman Kenneth Weinstein to monitor for bias may shift the perception of CBS News. Media industry observers are split on whether that’s for the best, and how audiences feel may depend on their political leanings.
“Trying to broaden your audience by bringing in different points of view is rarely successful, particularly with network news,” TV industry consultant Cathy Rasenberger previously told Business Insider.
Former ABC News anchor Terry Moran is more optimistic.
“Viewpoint diversity will make things better,” Moran said when asked about rumors of Weiss joining CBS News. “There’s a monoculture and monothink in established media, and breaking that can only be good.”
The former longtime “60 Minutes” staffer also said Weiss could jazz up CBS News with her knack for podcasts and newsletters.
“That’s probably a good thing if it’s going to stay alive and relevant,” this person said.
While hiring Weiss might be risky, it’s driving buzz about CBS News — arguably for the first time since the “60 Minutes” lawsuit settlement.
“For putting attention on CBS News, it’s a brilliant move,” Wolk said.
Lucia Moses contributed reporting.
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