By: Justin Winograd

The American media landscape may be on the cusp of one of its most consequential shakeups in decades. According to a report that appeared on Thursday in The New York Post, Paramount Skydance is preparing to name Bari Weiss, the outspoken journalist and founder of the Free Press, as editor in chief of CBS News. The move, sources told The Post, could be formally announced as soon as Monday. For a network whose journalistic identity has been shaped by decades of cautious institutional culture, Weiss’ arrival promises to be nothing short of seismic.

Bari Weiss, 41, is no stranger to controversy or to public reinvention. A former opinion writer and editor at The New York Times, she resigned in 2020 in protest over what she described as the paper’s capitulation to ideological conformity. In the years since, Weiss has carved out her own corner of the media ecosystem, launching the Free Press — a digital platform she built into a widely read contrarian news and commentary site.

As The New York Post has reported, Weiss’ rise has coincided with growing public dissatisfaction with legacy media outlets, especially their handling of issues like antisemitism, Israel coverage, and ideological polarization. By turning her Substack-born newsletter into a fully fledged newsroom, Weiss proved she could marry entrepreneurial grit with editorial instincts. That scrappiness, insiders suggest, may be exactly what CBS News — long stuck in third place among the networks — needs.

What makes her expected appointment remarkable is not only the role itself but the reporting structure: Weiss will bypass traditional news management channels and report directly to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison. In an industry where editorial independence is typically walled off from corporate oversight, this arrangement indicates that Ellison intends to give Weiss sweeping influence over CBS News’ direction.

The announcement of Weiss’ new role will be paired with another bold stroke: Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of the Free Press. As The New York Post detailed, the deal is valued at approximately $150 million and is expected to involve both cash and stock, with additional earn-out provisions to reach its full figure.

For Weiss, the transaction represents validation. In less than four years, she transformed her departure from The New York Times into a brand that drew millions of readers and a devoted following of subscribers and podcast listeners. For Paramount Skydance, the deal signals a clear bet on contrarian, independent voices — a marked departure from CBS News’ reputation for staid, establishment journalism.

Insiders told The Post that the Free Press will continue to operate as a standalone property under Paramount, at least in the short term. Whether it eventually merges into CBS News’ digital presence remains unclear. Regardless, Weiss’ dual role as CBS News editor in chief and founder of the Free Press gives her unusual leverage to shape the future of both properties.

CBS News has long styled itself as the “Tiffany Network,” a moniker meant to reflect journalistic prestige and sobriety. But in recent years, its reputation has tarnished. Audience share has lagged behind ABC and NBC, its morning show has struggled for relevance, and its flagship “60 Minutes” — once the undisputed gold standard of television journalism — has been dogged by accusations of bias.

The arrival of Weiss, The New York Post report observed, could be like “dropping a grenade” into the newsroom. Veteran staff at “60 Minutes” and CBS News more broadly are described as “dug in,” resistant to outside disruption. Her presence, therefore, is expected to set off significant internal resistance.

This resistance may be sharpened by Weiss’ reputation as a critic of the very cultural orthodoxy many CBS staffers embrace. She has become a leading public voice against antisemitism, against “woke” ideological litmus tests in media, and in defense of Israel at a moment when network coverage of the Jewish state has faced sharp scrutiny.

The turbulence at CBS News is not merely hypothetical. The division has been repeatedly forced to defend itself against allegations of bias. As The New York Post chronicled, the network recently paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump, who accused CBS of deceptively editing a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris. In order to secure regulatory approval for its merger, Paramount also pledged an additional $20 million in pro-MAGA advertising commitments, underscoring how costly the network’s credibility issues have become.

Coverage of Israel has been particularly fraught. In October, CBS co-host Tony Dokoupil clashed with author Ta-Nehisi Coates on-air after Coates described Israel as an apartheid state. Dokoupil, who is Jewish and has family in Israel, pushed back sharply — only to face rebuke from CBS leadership during an internal meeting that coincided with the second anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 massacre. The Post reported that many staffers complained his performance “didn’t meet standards.” Months later, “60 Minutes” aired a segment critical of U.S. support for Israel that the American Jewish Committee slammed as “shockingly one-sided.”

It is in this environment that Weiss, who has built her public identity around challenging antisemitism and defending Israel, will take the helm.

Paramount insiders told The New York Post that Weiss’ appointment may also complicate the standing of Tom Cibrowski, a veteran of ABC’s “Good Morning America” now serving in a top production role at CBS News. Cibrowski is seen as a skilled manager and producer but not a journalist. Some observers speculate that Weiss, described as “extremely ambitious,” may soon eclipse him in influence — if not formally replace him.

“There’s a sense this is an either/or situation,” one source told The Post, alluding to prior speculation about whether CBS would bring back former president David Rhodes. With Weiss emerging as the choice, it appears Ellison wants an editorial leader with both public visibility and ideological clarity.

David Ellison’s role cannot be understated. The 41-year-old son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison is betting his company’s reputation on rebooting CBS News into something more dynamic and less predictable. His overtures to Weiss, The New York Post revealed, date back nearly a year. The two were spotted together at the Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley — a gathering nicknamed “summer camp for billionaires” — where Ellison reportedly made clear his desire to bring more conservative and contrarian voices into CBS News.

The hiring of Kenneth R. Weinstein as CBS News ombudsman, a position created as part of FCC conditions for the Paramount-Skydance merger, already signaled this shift. Weiss’ appointment takes it several steps further, promising not only oversight but active editorial direction.

The potential impact on the broader media landscape is enormous. Weiss’ ascension to one of the most powerful editorial roles in television journalism signals a break with legacy media’s ideological homogeneity. It could embolden other networks — NBC, ABC, CNN — to rethink their structures and their relationship to independent media entrepreneurs.

The New York Post has long chronicled the decline in trust toward mainstream news outlets. By bringing in Weiss, Paramount Skydance is attempting to capture disaffected viewers who see legacy news as stale, biased, and hostile to diverse viewpoints. If Weiss succeeds in revamping CBS News, the ripple effects will be felt across the industry.

No single program illustrates CBS News’ internal challenges more than “60 Minutes.” Long considered the crown jewel of investigative television journalism, the show has faced criticism for perceived bias and for a loss of edge. Weiss’ potential oversight of “60 Minutes” — Ellison originally floated her as a candidate to lead the program — raises profound questions about how the venerable brand may evolve.

Will Weiss push for more robust coverage of antisemitism, cancel culture, and ideological conformity? Will she seek to highlight stories neglected by mainstream outlets but embraced by her Free Press readership? Insiders warn of “culture clash” as entrenched producers adjust to a leader known for challenging sacred cows.

Weiss herself embodies the contradictions of contemporary journalism. To some, she is a fearless truth-teller who calls out antisemitism and ideological conformity wherever she finds it. To others, she is a provocateur whose willingness to court controversy risks polarizing audiences.

Her podcast, Honestly with Bari Weiss, has given her a platform to engage high-profile voices across the ideological spectrum. Her Free Press site, which she will now sell to Paramount Skydance, became a magnet for heterodox writers, from disaffected liberals to conservatives wary of Trumpism. In many ways, Weiss has already built the kind of hybrid journalistic-entrepreneurial model that traditional networks have struggled to replicate.

The announcement of Weiss’ appointment, when it comes, will not be the end of the story but the beginning of a volatile new chapter. CBS News employees are bracing for disruption. The New York Post reported that some insiders expect open resistance from staff, especially at “60 Minutes.” Others predict Weiss will move quickly to reshape the editorial culture, introducing new beats, new correspondents, and a more aggressive digital strategy.

The Free Press, meanwhile, will test Paramount Skydance’s ability to integrate a fast-moving independent outlet into its corporate portfolio without stifling its spirit. Will it remain standalone, or will Weiss use it to funnel ideas, talent, and audience energy into CBS News?

In many ways, the decision to bring Bari Weiss into CBS News epitomizes the precarious state of American journalism. Legacy outlets are struggling with audience decline, reputational crises, and accusations of bias. Independent voices are capturing attention but lack scale. By merging the two — CBS News’ institutional heft with Weiss’ entrepreneurial brand — Paramount Skydance is betting on a radical reset.

If the appointment goes through, Weiss will become one of the most powerful — and controversial — figures in American media.