The founder of “a leading independent subscription media company” who hosts the podcast Honestly whose resume includes stints as an op/ed writer at The New York Times and, before that, at The Wall Street Journal is the new Editor-in-Chief of CBS News.
It’s thanks to the purchase of The Free Press by Skydance Corp.’s Paramount unit.
That’s the creation of one Bari Weiss. And, the official announcement from Skydance that came on Monday comes after much speculation she’d be getting one of the prickliest positions in broadcast journalism today.
Weiss from 2017-2020 Weiss was an opinion writer and editor at The New York Times and joined the publication after writing opinion pieces and serving as the book review editor at WSJ. She’s also been a senior editor at Tablet magazine.
As CBS News’ top leader, Weiss “will shape editorial priorities, champion core values across platforms, and lead innovation in how the organization reports and delivers the news.” She’ll “partner with” CBS News President Tom Cibrowski, who reports to Paramount’s Chair of TV Media, George Cheeks.
Paramount Chairman/CEO David Ellison commented, “Bari is a proven champion of independent, principled journalism, and I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News. 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.”
Ellison added that the acquisition of The Free Press “is an important initiative for our company and Bari will report directly to me – leading the work of The Free Press and collaborating with our CBS News team in the pursuit of making it the most trusted name in news. We believe the majority of the country longs for news that is balanced and fact-based, and we want CBS to be their home.”
Paramount says The Free Press will maintain its own independent brand and operations, and continue to do reporting, video and audio podcasts, and events.
Not to be confused with the Detroit Free Press, Weiss founded The Free Press in 2021 and has enjoyed strong, steady growth over the last four years. It has more than 170,000 paid subscribers.
Weiss commented, “This is a great moment for The Free Press. This partnership allows our ethos of fearless, independent journalism to reach an enormous, diverse, and influential audience. 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.”
The Free Press has lifted its paywall through October 12 to introduce itself to online readers not familiar with the digital publication, where Weiss penned a column detailing the future of The Free Press.
“This move is a testament to many things: The Free Press team; the vision of Paramount’s new leaders; the luck of starting an independent media company at the right moment; and the courage of my colleagues to leave behind old worlds to build a new one,” Weiss wrote. “But, above all, it’s a testament to you, our subscribers.”
