New editor-in-chief Bari Weiss wants CBS News to hold ‘both American political parties to equal scrutiny’

Paramount Skydance has officially acquired the anti-woke digital media outlet The Free Press for $150 million and named the site’s “heterodox” founder Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News, the companies announced Monday.

“I stand for the same core journalistic values that have defined this profession since the beginning, and I will continue to champion them alongside you,” Weiss said in her first message to CBS News staff Monday morning, adding that she aspires for “journalism that holds both American political parties to equal scrutiny.”

The move, which was in the works for months and had been deemed “imminent” in recent days, is just the latest shake-up at the Tiffany Network following the politically fraught merger between Paramount and Skydance Media this past summer, which saw Paramount’s former ownership pay President Donald Trump $16 million to settle a “meritless” lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.

“Bari is a proven champion of independent, principled journalism, and I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News,” Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison said in a statement Monday. “We believe the majority of the country longs for news that is balanced and fact-based, and we want CBS to be their home.”

In her own statement, Weiss — who describes herself as a “radical centrist” and “classical liberal” — said that “we’ll be investing heavily in this community, and so many of the things we’ve long dreamed about will become possible much more quickly.”

In a column announcing the move, Weiss — a former New York Times opinion editor and columnist — said the acquisition of The Free Press by Paramount was a “testament” to the site’s subscribers, asserting that the Substack-based outlet had married “the quality of the old world to the freedom of the new” and sought the truth.

“As of today, I am editor-in-chief of CBS News, working with new colleagues on the programs that have impacted American culture for generations—shows like 60 Minutes and Sunday Morning—and shaping how millions of Americans read, listen, watch, and, most importantly, understand the news in the 21st century,” she added.

She also noted that she and The Free Press would “help reshape a storied media organization” by helping guide CBS News “into a future that honors those great values that underpin The Free Press and the best of American journalism. And in doing so, to bring our mission to millions of people.”

She added: “What does this mean for CBS News? It means a redoubled commitment to great journalism. It means building on a storied legacy—and bringing that historic newsroom into 2025 and beyond. Most of all, it means working tirelessly to make sure CBS News is the most trusted news organization in the world.”

Weiss also pointed out that she would remain the CEO and editor-in-chief of The Free Press, which would still exist as a standalone outlet.

In a lengthy Monday email to staff, which was reviewed by The Independent, Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison framed the purchase of The Free Press and the installation of its stridently pro-Israel founder as the network’s editorial leader as an effort to tamp down “partisan division and hostile disputes.” Instead, as Ellison wrote, this would help “find our way back to the ideals that shaped both our country and civilization itself: open exchange of ideas, vigorous yet respectful debate, and a genuine regard for the beliefs and traditions of others.”

Quoting the nation’s first president about the dangers of partisanship, Ellison said that the issue extends beyond politics and threatens “the fabric of our communities” as it reduces all conversations to “us vs. them,” adding that it prevents the growth of a society.

“I don’t pretend to have a solution to this challenge,” he continued. “But I do believe we each have a responsibility to do our part.”

With that lengthy preamble, Ellison announced to the newsroom that he was “excited” to share that Paramount had purchased The Free Press while boasting about its subscription numbers, which now top 170,000 paid subscribers. He also revealed that Weiss would indeed be named editor-in-chief, one of the media industry’s worst-kept secrets over the past few weeks.

“I’ve seen the Bari who you will get to know: a person of incredible energy, judgment, and perception for what will resonate with audiences,” he noted. “Working alongside our exceptionally talented colleagues at CBS News, she will help ensure that our reporting remains relevant, accessible, and — most importantly —trusted in this new era for American media.”

Ellison went on to say he was “confident” that CBS News and The Free Press would “make big strides and be at the forefront of a much-needed transformation in how news is gathered, reported and delivered,” adding that “we aim to do our part in helping rebuild a society where our shared humanity unites us, and where our differences become a source of strength rather than division.”

In her first email to CBS News staff, which came from the “office of the editor-in-chief, CBS News,” Weiss wrote that she was “thrilled and humbled” over the new position. Adding that watching CBS had been a “family tradition” during her childhood, Weiss stated that it was an “extraordinary privilege” to help the network “build on that legacy” and to “renew it in an era that so desperately needs it.”

Noting that she looked forward to meeting with the staff in the coming days, Weiss also delivered a ten-point checklist on her “core journalistic values” and what she hoped to accomplish as the editorial leader of CBS News.

“Journalism that holds both American political parties to equal scrutiny,” said one of her bullet points, while another declared: “Journalism that embraces a wide spectrum of views and voices so that the audience can contend with the best arguments on all sides of a debate.”

“Right now, I imagine you have some questions. I do, too,” she added. “My goal in the coming days is to get to know you. I want to hear about what’s working, what isn’t, and your thoughts on how we can make CBS News the most trusted news organization in America and the world. I’ll approach it the way any reporter would — with an open mind, a fresh notebook and an urgent deadline.”

Although the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, sources confirmed to Axios that the acquisition was valued at roughly $150 million in stock and cash, a figure originally reported by Puck’s Dylan Byers last month.

Additionally, in something of an unusual arrangement, Weiss will report directly to Ellison, and not to CBS News President Tom Cibrowski or Paramount’s media chief George Cheeks. She is expected to serve alongside Cibrowski, who was only recently hired for his role following the exit of former CBS News head Wendy McMahon.

CBS News sources told The Independent that Weiss and Cibrowski both met with the network’s news leadership team late Monday morning. Weiss was also scheduled to take part in the evening news’ mid-afternoon editorial meeting.

The acquisition of The Free Press and the installation of Weiss — who famously quit the New York Times in 2020 over its “illiberal environment” and because she was “bullied” by liberal colleagues — is just the latest effort by Ellison to shift CBS News’ overage to the right. Notably, The Free Press — which has made the denouncement of “cancel culture” a central tenet of its mission — took aim at CBS News’ editorial leadership last year for admonishing anchor Tony Dokoupil for his combative interview with celebrated author Ta-Nehisi Coates over the Gaza War.

Since officially closing on the merger in August, Ellison has brought aboard former conservative think tank leader and Trump appointee Kenneth Weinstein to serve as ombudsman and field “complaints of bias” about the news network’s coverage. Just days before the Trump administration approved the merger, Skydance had promised Trump’s handpicked Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr that an ombudsman would be appointed for at least two years once the deal was closed.

Additionally, following the White House’s loud complaint last month, the network announced that it would modify its editing rules for interviews featured on its Sunday news show, Face the Nation. This came after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem fumed about one of her answers being cut off in a taped interview. Following the tirade from the Trump administration, CBS stated that all interviews on Face the Nation would be aired live or live-to-tape and in their entirety, effectively siding with the White House.

Meanwhile, House Democrats have opened an investigation into Ellison and Paramount over allegations of “bribery” during the merger process. Besides the settlement over the 60 Minutes interview, which occurred weeks before the $8.4 billion deal was closed, the probe is looking into Trump’s claims that Ellison — who is the son of Oracle founder and top Trump ally Larry Ellison — had reached a secret “side deal” to air as much as $20 million of pro-MAGA advertisements on CBS once Slydance took over Paramount. Furthermore, the Democrats are also looking at Paramount’s decision to cancel the top-rated late-night show of outspoken Trump critic Stephen Colbert days before the administration blessed the merger.

As it became clear that Paramount was looking to settle the lawsuit with Trump, Bill Owens — the longtime executive producer of 60 Minutes —and McMahon both resigned, citing corporate influence on “journalistic independence” and their unwillingness to apologize over the interview as part of any settlement.

Meanwhile, the arrival of Weiss will be a tough pill for many at the vaunted news operation to swallow, especially as Ellison has made it clear that he’s about to implement painful layoffs that could mean as much as 10 percent of the network’s payroll will be slashed.

“People are using words like depressing and doomsday – feels like some sort of doomsday,” one reporter told The Independent recently.

“I think the ombudsman, Bari Weiss, and the impending massive layoffs that are coming in a couple of weeks have everyone just kind of freaking out, like, literally freaking out,” another CBS journalist noted. “It’s not a good place right now. There was a proper way to do this and a not proper way, and they’re doing it in the non-proper way, and maybe that’s by design.”

Journalists at the network are also upset with Ellison, believing that he “lied” to them when he vowed that he did not want to “politicize” the news organization after he took over Paramount in August.

“He’s essentially going to hand the keys to the kingdom to Bari Weiss and to anyone and everyone who is an ideologue that supports his and his father’s world,” a CBS News reporter said, while another network correspondent was even more blunt.

“It’s just like anybody that you think isn’t qualified for the job that comes in, there’s going to be trepidation, right?” they wondered. “Whether it’s Bari Weiss or, you know, Michael Scott from The Office.”

Ultimately, all of Ellison’s recent moves appear to have satisfied at least one person. According to Semafor, Trump is now in talks with 60 Minutes to sit down for an interview, with the White House demanding that the conversation be aired unedited.