With the appointment of new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, CBS News may be in the midst of such a jumpstart. FONSI has led to a great deal of discussion and confusion across the network. Weiss’s background is wholly without television news or hard news journalism experience. This has rightly raised alarm among CBS staff and journalists, considering the extent of his political agenda. The appointment comes at a time of deep leadership turmoil in the newsroom. Lucky for us, the team has been tackling this challenge over the past year-plus.
Paramount CEO David Ellison made Weiss’s hiring official today. He reiterated that this legislation is a step in the ongoing process of CBS News’ ambition to be known as “the most trusted name in news.” Weiss will now report directly to Ellison, cutting out Cibrowski and Paramount’s TV chief George Cheeks. The Paramount Skydance cohort that’s killing Weiss’s Substack-centered publication, The Free Press, for a reported $150 million. This agreement makes her position at CBS even more confounding.
As we previously reported, the surprise announcement was met with a mix of jubilation and concern from CBS News staff. Some staff were reportedly left with a lack of understanding about how Weiss would operate in her new capacity. Yet, they were worried that she didn’t have enough traditional journalism experience. One former insider remarked, “It is still unclear to me how she is going to actually work,” while another added, “I am not sure there is any other network that has this structure. What is less clear to me is exactly how she’s going to exercise this power.”
For most in the newsroom, Weiss’s rightward political bias has been the main point of contention. As one of the new employee’s appointees said, the news was “absolutely soul crushing.” She noted the appointee’s lack of experience in television news; her distinctively political agenda was evident. Another staffer stated, “It’s hard to see this as anything more than an attempt to bend the knee completely.”
CBS News employees are still reeling from the unknowns of the changes in leadership. This comes on the heels of a number of other recent changes at the top of the organization. This context intensifies the unease about Weiss’s hiring. As one lab employee put it most colorfully, with a throwing up emoji. This emoji reaction made it very clear that their emotions were not in line with the feeling in office whatsoever.
As Weiss gears up to assume her new role, employees remain guardedly hopeful that major editorial shifts are on the horizon. They are curious whether she will make critical appointments that could affect the newsroom’s direction. A sixth current CBS News employee commented, “Ruling by edict from the top won’t be enough to change things,” suggesting that Weiss will need support from others to implement her vision effectively.
Weiss has been very vocal about what she’s looking to accomplish in her new perch. “I want to hear from you 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,” she said. Despite this, questions persist among staff about if her creatively new vision will actually catch fire in the newsroom.
The immediate backlash to Weiss’s appointment underscores deep divisions at CBS News. Her staff is rightly concerned about the cost of getting her magazine. They worry about how this will impact resource priorities at the network level. As one of our staffers put it, “the price tag is beyond indefensible,” voicing concerns that go well beyond a misplaced set of priorities.