Bari Weiss at CBS News: A year of drama and challenges as she attempts to revamp the Tiffany Network
It has been a tumultuous year for CBS News as the network has been rocked by ownership changes and a polarizing new boss.Last October, then-newly minted Paramount owner David Ellison tapped Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News as part of his $150 million purchase of her outlet The Free Press.What has unfolded over the past year is a revolving door of talent, newsroom clashes and a continuous ratings decline.BARI WEISS BEING NAMED TOP CBS NEWS EDITOR CAUSES LIBERAL MEDIA TO MELTDOWNBari Weiss was formally named editor-in-chief of CBS News in October 2025 after her outlet, The Free Press, was acquired by Paramount.(Noam Galai/Getty Images for The Free Press)The battle lines seemed to have been drawn even before Weiss stepped foot inside the CBS newsroom.
Her appointment came on the heels of Ellison's $8 billion takeover of Paramount, which critics believe only received the FCC's blessing after Paramount settled President Donald Trump's "60 Minutes" lawsuit for $16 million.Ellison and his billionaire father, Larry Ellison, are perceived as having a cozy relationship with Trump, fueling fear among liberals that he would turn CBS News into MAGA TV.Weiss, who launched The Free Press following her dramatic exit from The New York Times, had been branded by her critics as an anti-woke conservative despite having more heterodox views.
When she was appointed by Ellison, she quickly embraced his mission to appeal to the "70%" in the political center rather than the fringes on the left and right.Still, that hasn't stopped outlets such as the left-wing blog The Daily Beast from branding the new CBS chief as being "MAGA-coded."Weiss has been a very hands-on editor according to multiple leaked reports, some of which spiraled into contentious newsroom battles.Her first big clash came last December with Sharyn Alfonsi, then a "60 Minutes" correspondent who was set to air a report on the notorious El Salvador prison CECOT but was temporarily shelved at the last minute by Weiss....