Bari Weiss Tapped to Overhaul CBS News as New Editor-in-Chief

In a significant move, Paramount Skydance is poised to appoint Bari Weiss as the new Editor-in-Chief of CBS News in the coming days. Weiss, a 41-year-old former New York Times opinion writer, has developed her independent news site, The Free Press, into a prominent platform with a contrarian perspective.

Weiss's appointment is expected to be announced on Monday, though the timeline may change as negotiations remain uncertain. In a notable restructuring of CBS News' management framework, Weiss will report directly to Paramount Skydance's Chief Executive, David Ellison, rather than the current CBS News President, Tom Cibrowski.

This direct reporting line to Ellison means Weiss will not answer to Cibrowski, who currently reports to George Cheeks, the Chair of TV Media at Paramount Skydance. Insiders suggest that Weiss's hiring raises doubts about the potential return of former CBS President David Rhodes, with one source describing their job prospects as an "either/or" scenario.

Weiss, who has become a leading voice against antisemitism and the "woke" elites in mainstream media, is expected to play a significant role in defining the editorial direction of CBS News' third-largest news division. Her appointment is seen as a potential challenge to Cibrowski, who is viewed more as a production expert than a journalist.