Bari Weiss named CBS editor-in-chief in USD150m sale of Free Press
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The news: Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has appointed Bari Weiss editor-in-chief of CBS News as part of a deal which will see Paramount acquire the Free Press, the news site founded by Weiss.
The numbers: The companies did not disclose the deal value however sources told Reuters and the WSJ that Paramount would buy Weiss’ outlet for USD150 million ($227 million).
The context: Weiss founded the Free Press in 2022, after resigning from the New York Times as an opinion writer in 2020. Weiss said in an open letter at the time of her resignation had she had been the subject of “constant bullying” by NYT colleagues who disagreed with her views.
Weiss has been critical of mainstream media outlets, many of which she has accused of liberal bias. She has also opposed “cancel culture” and become a popular voice for US conservatives.
Weiss and the Free Press have been staunch Israel supporters throughout the conflict.
Since Ellison took over Paramount in August, the media company released a statement supporting Israeli filmmakers and will this week release a miniseries dramatising the 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. David Ellison is son of Trump ally and Oracle founder, Larry Ellison.
What they said: In a press release shared by the companies on Monday, Ellison said: “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 Paramount’s bigger vision to modernize content and the way it connects – directly and passionately – to audiences around the world.”
Weiss said: “This is a great moment for The Free Press. This partnership allows our ethos of fearless, independent journalism to reach an enormous, diverse, and influential audience. We honor the extraordinary legacy of CBS News by committing ourselves to a singular mission: building the most trusted news organization of the 21st Century.”
The sources: Paramount Skydance, WSJ, Bloomberg, Reuters
