Ex- New York Times Writer Takes Over CBS After Paramount Deal

Paramount has named former NYT columnist Bari Weiss to oversee CBS News, signaling the most recent initiative by new owners to restructure workings of one of America's leading news organisations.

The company is also buying The Free Press, the web-based platform Weiss founded after her acrimonious separation from the New York Times, in a deal estimated to be worth $150 million.

Ms Weiss, who has challenged broadcast media for becoming overly political, said she was enthusiastic to influence CBS, which was purchased by David Ellison earlier this year as part of a larger merger with Paramount.

Background of the New Leader

Ms Weiss, who started her career at Jewish news outlets, is noted for her support of Israel and her questioning of "cancel culture".

Since its start as a email publication in 2021, The Free Press has gained 1.5 million readers, including in excess of 170,000 subscribing supporters.

It has garnered notice for reports such as a piece skeptical of NPR by one of its ex- business editors, as well as an investigation of some images used by mainstream news outlets to illustrate famine in Gaza.

Notable contributors include academic Niall Ferguson and economic thinker Tyler Cowen.

Strategic Plans

Mr Ellison said the hiring of Ms Weiss as editor-in-chief was part of a larger initiative to update programming at Paramount and make CBS the "most-trusted name in news".

"We think the greater part of the country longs for news that is balanced and fact-based, and we want CBS to be their home," he said.

More Change at CBS

Details of the deal were not revealed. Paramount would not address accounts that the company had paid $150 million in stock and cash.

Mr Ellison made his name as a Hollywood movie maker of major films such as Top Gun Maverick, True Grit and World War Z.

He has said his goal is to produce coverage that is more balanced politically, and therefore has the capacity to engage all audiences.

His acquisition of Paramount was cleared by oversight bodies this season, after the company committed to pay $16 million to settle a court case.

To secure clearance of the acquisition, Mr Ellison agreed to establish an external reviewer at CBS to assess complaints of bias and vowed to oversight bodies that coverage would showcase a variety of opinions.

He also said CBS's established political show "Face the Nation" would discontinue air edited interviews.

Alliance Facts

CBS News has a collaborative arrangement with an international broadcaster, meaning news reporting including visual material can be distributed.

In a note revealing the arrangement, Ms Weiss said she believed in the Paramount leader and his executive staff.

"They are committing fully because they believe in news. Because they have bravery. Because they love this country. And because they appreciate, as we do, that America cannot prosper without mutual understanding, universal realities, and a shared perspective," she wrote.