Overview
- Il Post reports that Paramount Skydance has acquired Bari Weiss’s digital outlet The Free Press, citing Axios for the estimated valuation.
- Bari Weiss is set to become director of CBS News with authority over newsroom leadership and editorial direction, according to the reporting.
- The agreement includes developing a new CBS News program modeled on The Free Press’s multi-person live debate format.
- The Free Press is expected to remain an independent publication within the company and currently counts about 1.5 million users with roughly 175,000 paying subscribers.
- Some U.S. media analysts interpret Weiss’s role as part of CEO David Ellison’s push to shift CBS News’ editorial stance to the right.