By: Justin Winograd

Paramount Global, still reeling from its $8 billion Skydance merger and the seismic end of Redstone family control, is now preparing to make another audacious bet: buying journalist Bari Weiss’ media venture The Free Press for as much as $200 million and giving her a senior editorial role at CBS News.

According to a report that appeared on Wednesday in The New York Post, negotiations are in their final stages, with insiders pegging the purchase price between $100 million and $200 million. Paramount has declined public comment, but the talks have already triggered a wave of unease inside CBS News, which is still grappling with the sweeping changes imposed by regulators and new management following the Skydance-Paramount mega-merger.

The New York Post has closely tracked the fallout from the Ellison takeover, noting that the Federal Communications Commission signed off on the merger only after Skydance CEO David Ellison agreed to controversial concessions: the creation of a newsroom ombudsman to monitor bias, the dismantling of CBS’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, and a formal pledge to elevate “viewpoint diversity.” For some CBS veterans, those mandates already signaled a dramatic break from the network’s storied past.

Now, the prospect of Weiss — a self-described liberal apostate who left The New York Times in 2020 after denouncing its “illiberal environment” — taking the reins at CBS News has rattled an institution already on edge.

Weiss, who launched The Free Press in 2022, has cultivated a reputation as one of the most recognizable voices challenging progressive orthodoxy in mainstream journalism. As the New York Post has frequently observed, her critiques of cancel culture, ideological conformity, and what she sees as the corrosion of free inquiry have turned her into both a lightning rod and a magnet for subscribers looking for unvarnished reporting and essays outside the standard media ecosystem.

The Free Press quickly grew into a buzzy platform, powered by subscriptions and bolstered by high-profile contributors. It has broken stories on higher education, free speech battles, and international affairs, often positioning itself as an antidote to the perceived groupthink of legacy outlets.

Now, with Paramount reportedly prepared to fold Weiss’s publication into its news division, the 40-year-old journalist could soon occupy her most prominent perch since her departure from The Times.

For CBS, the timing is fraught. The New York Post report detailed how Ellison’s $8 billion Skydance takeover was billed as a bold attempt to revitalize Paramount’s content machine, but CBS News quickly emerged as the most contentious battleground in the deal.

During regulatory review, the FCC scrutinized CBS’s editorial independence and coverage decisions. Ellison ultimately had to agree to establish a permanent ombudsman’s office, dismantle DEI requirements, and ensure viewpoint diversity across CBS News’ platforms.

Those conditions have already roiled the newsroom. As one CBS insider told Fox Business, the new ombudsman is perceived internally as a “hall monitor,” tasked with second-guessing editorial judgments and keeping a running tally of perceived bias. Former anchors have warned publicly that CBS News’ long tradition of independent journalism could be compromised by political oversight and corporate restructuring.

Into this volatile mix enters Bari Weiss, whose arrival — if finalized — would represent a direct challenge to CBS’s entrenched newsroom culture.

The New York Post report highlighted Weiss’s knack for attracting controversy, whether through her blistering resignation letter at The Times, her vocal criticism of progressive ideologues, or her steadfast defense of free speech in arenas ranging from universities to social media.

Her critics accuse her of courting right-wing audiences while cloaking herself in centrist respectability. Her defenders insist she has become one of the few journalists willing to call out hypocrisy on both the left and right.

Either way, Weiss has consistently positioned herself as a disruptor — a label that aligns with Ellison’s mission to modernize CBS News but which also promises further turbulence inside a network already divided over its future direction.

The potential $200 million purchase price would make The Free Press one of the richest media acquisitions in recent memory for a platform that began as a Substack newsletter. According to the information provided in the New York Post report, the deal reflects Ellison’s determination to infuse CBS News with fresh voices and re-establish its relevance after years of ratings decline and digital stagnation.

Ellison, son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, has staked much of his reputation on revitalizing Paramount’s news and entertainment properties. His willingness to embrace Weiss underscores his belief that a shake-up at CBS News is not only necessary but urgent.

The New York Post also reported on the political backdrop to these changes. Paramount’s merger with Skydance was approved only after the company agreed to settle litigation brought by President Donald Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, which Trump alleged was deceptively edited.

The case became a flashpoint during the merger review, feeding suspicions among conservatives that CBS News operated with partisan bias. For Ellison, bringing on Weiss — a journalist who has loudly criticized progressive orthodoxy but stopped short of aligning with Trumpism — may be seen as a strategic move to insulate CBS News from both regulatory scrutiny and accusations of ideological slant.

According to reporting cited by the New York Post, tensions within CBS News have escalated in recent weeks as whispers about the Weiss deal have circulated. Some staffers worry that her arrival signals a wholesale shift in editorial tone, one that could privilege contrarianism and outsider branding over traditional journalistic rigor. Others see her as a necessary counterweight to years of perceived drift toward homogeneity in political and cultural coverage.

Either way, her presence is already being felt. “She hasn’t even walked in the building yet, and the newsroom is buzzing,” one CBS staffer told a media outlet this week.

Neither Paramount nor Weiss has publicly confirmed the talks, though sources told Puck and the New York Post that discussions are nearing conclusion. Should the acquisition go through, Weiss would not only bring her publication into the CBS fold but would also likely assume a senior editorial position at CBS News.

For Ellison, the gamble is clear: betting that Weiss can help him steer CBS News through its identity crisis and reassert its place as a serious competitor in an era dominated by partisan outlets and social media fragmentation.

For Weiss, the stakes are equally high. After carving out an independent niche and cultivating an image as a rebel against establishment journalism, stepping into CBS News leadership would test her ability to translate outsider credibility into institutional power.

The New York Post has described Paramount’s new trajectory as one of “seismic disruption” — and the potential Weiss deal fits squarely within that narrative. With the ink barely dry on the Skydance merger, CBS News faces a crossroads: embrace a bold and controversial voice in Weiss, or risk sliding further into irrelevance.

If the deal closes, Bari Weiss will inherit both a platform and a powder keg. Her challenge will be to prove that The Free Press’ outsider ethos can be grafted onto one of America’s most storied news divisions without detonating it entirely.