Paramount Skydance is set to appoint Bari Weiss as editor in chief of CBS News in the coming days, providing the journalist with significant authority to overhaul the network as it acquires her independent news site, the Free Press, The Post has learned. Weiss, a 41-year-old former New York Times opinion writer who developed the Free Press into a prominent platform with a contrarian perspective, is expected to be named to the top position in a Monday announcement. However, negotiations remain uncertain, and the timeline may change, a source close to the matter stated. In a notable restructuring of CBS News’ longstanding management framework, Weiss will report directly to Paramount Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison as she assists in defining the editorial direction of the Tiffany Network’s third-largest news division, a source indicated. Weiss’s direct reporting line to Ellison means she will not answer to CBS News President Tom Cibrowski, who currently reports to George Cheeks, Chair of TV Media at Paramount Skydance. Insiders mentioned that Weiss’s hiring raises doubts about the potential return of former CBS President David Rhodes to the network, with one source describing their job prospects as an “either/or” scenario. Sources informed The Post that Weiss could serve as a strong counterpart to Cibrowski, a former “Good Morning America” executive who is viewed more as a production expert than a journalist. Others anticipate that it will soon be clear whether Weiss—who has become a leading voice against antisemitism and the “woke” elites in mainstream media—will challenge Cibrowski’s position.
Who is Weiss?
Weiss, 40, made her name as a sharp-tongued opinion columnist at The New York Times. Her pieces took aim at the MeToo movement, campus activism, and what she described as “illiberalism on the left.”In 2020, she quit in spectacular fashion, publishing a viral resignation letter accusing the paper of silencing ideological diversity.She then launched The Free Press in 2022, billing it as “fiercely independent.” The outlet quickly drew attention, and controversy, with stories that platformed conservative voices, a friendly sit-down with venture capitalist Peter Thiel, and essays that critics said downplayed the famine in Gaza.