The leftist posture of CBS News appears headed for the dung heap of history.
Bari Weiss is a real journalist; she left the NY Times in a very public dispute over “woke” policies, started her own politically independent but very high quality website The Free Press, and an excellent podcast, Honestly. She’s not a conservative of our stripe, but offers a platform for a very wide range of opinion leaders.
It now appears that she is being hired by David Ellison, founder of Skydance who has now merged with Paramount/CBS, to be head of CBS News. In the process Skydance Paramount will buy The Free Press for $150 million, making Bari vari rich.
Big changes are coming to CBS News with the announcement of Bari Weiss as its new editor-in-chief, and the consternation is already beginning. Cries of horror could be heard coming from BlueSky, the far less influential Twitter alternative that left-wingers have turned into a sort of online refugee camp.
The story of Weiss' rise is an interesting one and serves as a case study in how left-wing wokeness can backfire. Back in 2020, she was a rather mundane columnist for The New York Times who had made a name as a bit of an independent voice, including questioning the reliability of the now-defunct "me too" movement. Naturally, the inmates running the asylum over at the Times couldn't abide that and carried out a targeted bullying campaign, forcing her resignation.
From there, she began building her profile on her own. In 2021, she went on with Brian Stelter, explaining to him that press bias surrounding COVID-19 existed. He was less than convinced, almost having an aneurysm on air.
Amid all the criticism, Weiss started The Free Press, which has grown into a massive outlet. That's where CBS News entered the picture, with its parent company, Paramount, purchasing it. Part of that deal was Weiss being given a "high-level" position within the broadcast network's structure. As it turns out, she's essentially at the top of the mountain, bypassing CBS News executives and only answering to Paramount chief David Ellison.
Weiss — a 41-year-old former New York Times opinion writer who has built the Free Press into a buzzworthy site with a contrarian bent — is expected to be named to the top post in a Monday announcement, although the talks are in flux and the timing could change, a source close to the situation said.
In a remarkable reshuffle of CBS News’ decades-old management structure, Weiss will report directly to Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison as she helps set the editorial direction at the Tiffany Network’s third-place news division, a source close to the situation said.
It's that arrangement that has Democrats most up in arms. Yes, they are ticked that CBS News hired her in the first place, but they are more ticked that she'll be able to go around the left-wing lunatics to enforce some semblance of standards in the outlet's newsroom. It's subtle, and what it'll add up to has yet to be seen, but there's a shift going on within the mainstream press, and you can expect the hysteria to only increase.
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_________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!"
Posts: 19558 | Location: One hop from Paradise | Registered: July 27, 2004
Perhaps more accurately—and I’m sure you agree, dear doctor, is that objectivity may raise its ugly head at CBS News for the first time ever. Edward R. Murrow? Walter Cronkite? Dan Rather???
BTW—reports today that WaPo has hired three—count ‘em, three!—conservative opinion writers for their editorial page, in line with Bezos’ desire to give voice to “free markets and personal liberties”. A long list of leftist nonentities left in a huff when Bezos hired his new opinion editor, Adam O’Neal.
^^^ They did have people like Bernard Goldberg and Sharyl Attkisson, but they were chased away. They might not have been household names as those main anchors, but they were real journalists.
Q
Posts: 30984 | Location: TEXAS | Registered: September 04, 2008
I read her Substack, and love her work. She's a liberal, but she doesn't let that get in the way of researching and writing a great story.
She will make that the finest newsroom in television.
There is hope yet!
"I vowed to myself to fight against evil more completely and more wholeheartedly than I ever did before. . . . That’s the only way to pay back part of that vast debt, to live up to and try to fulfill that tremendous obligation."
Alfred Hornik, Sunday, December 2, 1945 to his family, on his continuing duty to others for surviving WW II.
Posts: 13598 | Location: Florida, Northwest of the Mouse | Registered: November 02, 2008
She's a liberal, but she doesn't let that get in the way of researching and writing a great story.
There's no doubt in my mind that the country would be vastly better off with an honest, objective news media. Could today's Democrats--John Fetterman excepted--survive in that environment?
_________________________ “Remember, remember the fifth of November!"
Posts: 19558 | Location: One hop from Paradise | Registered: July 27, 2004
She is definitely a leftists from way back. I dot think however, that like Alan Dershowitz she is at least intellectually honest. And that’s a lot more than you getting at any mainstream/legacy media outlet currently.
Good start. She is a Lefty however the fact she was chased-off and condemned from the newsroom by this current generation of Lefties because 'she wasn't enough' paints a picture of where she stands. Will she be forced to clean house or, will people self-select and separate themselves because of their 'ethics'? We'll see....
Posts: 16086 | Location: Wine Country | Registered: September 20, 2000
She lost her New York Times editor gig over allowing an OpEd by Senator Tom Cotton to be published. She went on to build The Free Press and her pod Honestly. She is a reasonable left of center old style journalist. That is her crime in the mind of radical leftist. I don't listen to her pod all the time, but when a topic or guest interests me I tune in. Excellent podcast.
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Posts: 7809 | Location: Pueblo, CO | Registered: July 03, 2005
So on a practical level, what does this news mean for your Free Press subscription? Two words: more and better. Our subscribers will still get the daily journalism they rely on: investigative reports, features, columns, podcasts, and more. And The Free Press, which will remain independent, will be growing even faster within Paramount. 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. 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. We would not be doing this if we did not believe in David Ellison, and the entire leadership team who took over Paramount this summer. They are doubling down because they believe in news. Because they have courage. Because they love this country. And because they understand, as we do, that America cannot thrive without common facts, common truths, and a common reality.
I think this is a positive development. Her coverage of antisemitism on campuses is pretty good and she’s honest in her opinion.
I’ve been listening to her podcast for a while now. Most topics are interesting and balanced. If I don’t like something I simply skip it (like Woody Allen).
I’d encourage any skeptics to skim the topics on the Honestly podcast and give it a try
P229
Posts: 4134 | Location: Sacramento, CA | Registered: November 21, 2008
I hope she asks them if CBS’ $16 MILLION lawsuit settlement award to President Trump for deceptively editing the 60 Minutes with Kringy Kamala was ‘worth it’?
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Posts: 4054 | Location: Lehigh Valley, PA | Registered: March 27, 2007
Originally posted by Cookster: I hope she asks them if CBS’ $16 MILLION lawsuit settlement award to President Trump for deceptively editing the 60 Minutes with Kringy Kamala was ‘worth it’?
It was to the staff.
They didn't pay the damages themselves. Perhaps Ms. Weiss will take their bonuses until CBS is repaid.
Nice is overrated
"It's every freedom-loving individual's duty to lie to the government." Airsoftguy, June 29, 2018
Posts: 33884 | Location: Loudoun County, Virginia | Registered: May 17, 2006
