Bari Weiss, the former New York Times opinion columnist who’s since built a career crusading against “cancel culture” and the left’s supposed excesses, will be CBS News’ new editor-in-chief, its parent company, Paramount, announced Monday.
Paramount, which was just acquired by Skydance in a Trump administration-approved merger, will also acquire Weiss’ Free Press, the publication she initially launched on Substack after leaving the Times in a huff in 2020, accusing the young “wokes” on staff of “bullying” her and silencing more conservative voices.
The Free Press deal is worth $150 million, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Weiss will report directly to Paramount Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison. Tom Cibrowski will continue to serve as president of the news network and report to George Cheeks, Paramount’s chairman of TV Media.
“Bari is a proven champion of independent, principled journalism, and I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News,” Ellison said in a statement.
