Overview

• Milne told staff Thursday she is leaving, a departure CBS confirmed, marking the first senior leadership exit since Weiss was named editor in chief.
• Veterans Susan Zirinsky and Al Ortiz are assisting with standards oversight on an interim basis while the network evaluates next steps.
• Milne has overseen standards since 2021, led CBS initiatives on misinformation and deepfakes, and previously worked at the BBC, ProPublica and Bloomberg.
• Weiss now directs CBS News editorially while reporting directly to David Ellison, following Paramount Skydance’s reported $150 million acquisition of her outlet The Free Press.
• The restructuring includes Kenneth R. Weinstein’s installation as ombudsman under merger approvals, drawing internal concern alongside union guidance to staff over Weiss’s recent workplace-memo requests and against a backdrop that includes a $16 million settlement with President Trump tied to a 60 Minutes dispute.