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Bari Weiss joins CBS News as editor-in-chief, Paramount buys Free Press for $150 million
Bari Weiss announced on Monday that she is officially editor-in-chief of CBS News and her outlet, The Free Press, is joining Paramount."Were a news organization, so Ill get right to it: This morning,The Free Pressis joining Paramount," Weiss wrote in an email to readers."This move is a testament to many things:The Free Pressteam; the vision of Paramounts new leaders; the luck of starting an independent media company at the right moment; and the courage of my colleagues to leave behind old worlds to build a new one," she continued. "But, above all, its a testament to you, our subscribers."Weiss, who famously quit The New York Timesin 2020 after detailing bullying by her colleagues, went on to launch the "Common Sense" newsletter in 2021 before rebranding it as The Free Press and expanding it into a full-fledged media company in 2022.Weiss and The Free Press have long been rumored to be coveted by Paramount's new owner David Ellison, and the pact is now official.CBS STAFFERS ABUZZ AS BARI WEISS REPORTEDLY SET TO JOIN NETWORK'S TOP BRASS, 'NOBODY KNOWS' WHAT TO EXPECT"We are thrilled to welcome Bari andThe Free Pressto Paramount and CBS News. Bari is a proven champion of independent, principled journalism, and I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News. This move is part of Paramounts bigger vision to modernize content and the way it connects directly and passionately to audiences around the world," Ellison said in a statement."This is an important initiative for our company and Bari will report directly to me leading the work ofThe Free Pressand collaborating with our CBS News team in the pursuit of making it the most trusted name in news," Ellison added. "We believe the majority of the country longs for news that is balanced and fact-based, and we want CBS to be their home."Weiss "will shape editorial priorities, champion core values across platforms, and lead innovation in how the organization reports and delivers the news," according to Paramount. She will partner with CBS News President Tom Cibrowski.The purchase price for The Free Press was $150 million in cash and Paramount stock, according to reports.Weiss noted that The Free Press aimed to "marry the quality of the old world to the freedom of the new," and that her goal is to "seek the truth and tell it plainly" while treating readers "like adults capable of making their own choices.""So many people told us this was no longer possible. That the premise of a media company built on trust rather than partisanship was, at best, a relic from the pastand, at worst, a fantasy that never was. That the internet killed journalism. That there simply werent enough Americans out there in search of media driven by honesty, independence, and integrity," Weiss wrote. "You proved them wrong. You demonstrated that theres a market for honest journalism. And youve given us a mandate to pursue that mission from an even bigger platform."The Free Press will maintain its "own independent brand and operations, and continue to do reporting, video and audio podcasts, and events for its fast-growing community of subscribers," according to Paramount.Weiss said she would continue to lead The Free Press as CEO and editor-in-chief but has more on her plate."As of today, I am editor-in-chief of CBS News, working with new colleagues on the programs that have impacted American culture for generations shows like60 MinutesandSunday Morning and shaping how millions of Americans read, listen, watch, and, most importantly, understand the news in the 21st century," Weiss wrote.NEW PARAMOUNT CEO DAVID ELLISON ISSUES ULTIMATUM TO WORKERS: RETURN TO OFFICE FULL-TIME OR LEAVEWeiss joins CBS at a time of severe tumult in the industry and the network itself, which has weathered controversies around "60 Minutes" and the surprising cancellation of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."Weiss, who built her brand around the notion that legacy outlets suffer from liberal groupthink, is sure to shake things up. Liberals have been incensed at the idea of Weiss being elevated to such a powerful position at CBS News. She has largely been ostracized by the cultural left for The Free Press' reporting that challenges DEI, gender ideology and media narratives against Israel in its ongoing war with Hamas.While conservatives and critics of the legacy media have largely welcomed the idea of Weiss leading a CBS overhaul, liberals and anti-Israel commentators slammed the move on social media.CBS STAFFERS REVOLT OVER PARAMOUNT'S SHAMEFUL TRUMP SETTLEMENT, BETRAYAL TO THE NETWORK'S JOURNALISTSWeiss, who wrote that the move means CBS has a "redoubled commitment to great journalism," conceded in her email to subscribers that they might have questions about the deal."WasntThe Free Pressstarted precisely because the old media institutions had failed? Isnt the whole premise of this publication that we need to build anew? Why fleeThe New York Timesonly to head back into another legacy institution?" Weiss wrote."In 2020, when I quitThe New York Times, I left a job that, on paper, was exactly the one I had always dreamed of having. But it wasntThe New York Timesanymore. It was, by then, a fancy logo and a motto that many had abandoned in exchange for devotion to a set of narrow, partisan ideas," she continued. "I was raised to be a believer in the institutions that built America and that made sense of itthe universities, book publishers, movie studios, and newspaper companies that forged public opinion for the entirety of my grandparents and parents lives. But what I found in 2020 is that the most important public conversations were happening outside of those places. I wanted to be a part of that more than I wanted to cling to the prestige."Weiss wrote that "so much has changed" over the past five years."As the gatekeepers of the mainstream have failed one after another, an explosion took place across the media landscape. Incredible new voices came to the fore. Personalities and influencers have overtaken hundred-year-old journalism brands in only a few years. Its an exciting, fascinating moment. It is also a deeply uncertain one," Weiss wrote."If the illiberalism of our institutions has been the story of the last decade, we now face a different form of illiberalism emanating from our fringes. On the one hand, an America-loathing far left. On the other, a history-erasing far right," she added. "These extremes do not represent the majority of the country, but they have increasing power in our politics, our culture, and our media ecosystem."FCC APPROVES PARAMOUNT-SKYDANCE MERGER FOLLOWING TRUMP SETTLEMENT, COLBERT CANCELLATIONShe continued: "Overlooked by all these so-called interlocutors are the enormous numbers of smart, politically mixed, pragmatic Americans. The people who believe, unapologetically, in the American project. This is the actual mainstream. These people are the overwhelming majority of the country. And they are being ill-served."Weiss said there are 1.5 million Free Press subscribers and the move to Paramount allows them to reach even more Americans."This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity allows us to do that. It givesThe Free Pressa chance to help reshape a storied media organizationto help guide CBS News into a future that honors those great values that underpinThe Free Pressand the best of American journalism. And in doing so, to bring our mission to millions of people," Weiss wrote."We would not be doing this if we did not believe in David Ellison, and the entire leadership team who took over Paramount this summer. They are doubling down because they believe in news. Because they have courage. Because they love this country. And because they understand, as we do, that America cannot thrive without common facts, common truths, and a common reality," she added. "If youre a CBS News reader or viewer hearing our name for the first time: I am eager to earn your trust."The Pree Press will lift its paywall through October 12.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPFox News Digitals Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
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