Bari Weiss, the incoming editor-in-chief at CBS News, has reportedly had a tough time adjusting to her new gig
Bari Weiss has some big plans as she takes the lead at CBS News, but not everyone is pleased.
The first editorial call at CBS, after naming their new leadership on Monday, started five minutes late, per the tardiness of incoming Editor-in-Chief Weiss, co-founder of news reform outlet The Free Press. She began by suggesting A-list talent like Hillary Clinton to come on-air, talking about the conflict in Gaza and using f-bombs, according to Vanity Fair.
Thursday was one of Weiss’ first days of work since starting her divisive new reign at CBS, which put the Paramount-Skydance portfolio under the spotlight once again, after firing Stephen Colbert and settling the “60 Minutes” suit with President Trump.
The Free Press, which Weiss has historically used to challenge legacy media, was acquired by Paramount-Skydance CEO David Ellison for $150 million. The deal reportedly secured Weiss the top job at CBS, but the idea didn’t please everyone.
The CBS newsroom became hostile, according to Vanity Fair, because Weiss’ agenda came off as criticism to the organization. Weiss often claimed that traditionally revered news sources had gone too “woke” in recent years, causing her to leave The New York Times in 2020, claiming she was bullied for not sharing the same political beliefs.
The ideology behind The Free Press relies on the objectivity she claims is missing from those legacy newsrooms, one of which she now runs.
An unnamed source at CBS told Vanity Fair what that first meeting was like, saying “You could cut the tension with a knife,” as well as, “It was very clear right away that she doesn’t quite understand how things work.”
Weiss identifies as center-left on the political spectrum, but openly mocks the far-left, and thus hasn’t been embraced by most Democrats with her new title. Her stance on Gaza, for which she is decidedly pro-Israel, has isolated some progressives from her news site and podcast, “Honestly with Bari Weiss.” Weiss is gay, but lacks support from the LGBTQ+ community because of her apparent hostility towards trans people with past comments on gender-affirming care and giving a platform to author J.K. Rowling, who’s made several transphobic claims, with The Free Press.
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“Let’s do the fucking news,” she reportedly said in that first news meeting, per a CBS source from The Independent.
“I’m not joking,” the source said. “She actually said that.”
Daisy Levine
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