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2mo ago

Paramount Skydance Reportedly Buying The Free Press, Tapping Bari Weiss as CBS News Editor-in-Chief

The unannounced move would place Weiss outside CBS News’ chain of command under direct oversight from CEO David Ellison.

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FILE – People walk by the CBS Broadcast Center on 57th Street in New York on April 20, 2023. CBS News has asked all of its local stations to become proficient in “solutions journalism,” a story-telling method that has taken off in the past decade to counter people who think reporters are obsessed with bad news. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

Overview

  • Paramount Skydance is expected to acquire Bari Weiss’s outlet The Free Press for about $150 million in a mix of cash and stock, with an announcement widely reported for Monday.
  • Weiss is reported to be in line to become CBS News’ inaugural editor-in-chief, while The Free Press is expected to operate as a standalone property under Paramount.
  • Multiple reports say Weiss would report directly to Paramount CEO David Ellison, bypassing CBS News president Tom Cibrowski, who is expected to remain in his role.
  • The prospective appointment has fueled concern inside CBS and among outside critics who note Weiss’s limited experience leading a broadcast-news operation.
  • Paramount, CBS and The Free Press have declined comment and sources say timing and terms remain fluid, even as former Paramount chair Shari Redstone voiced support for Weiss’s potential role.