The anchor John Dickerson said on Monday that he would depart CBS News at the end of the year, the first sign of what is expected to be a major shake-up at the network under its new corporate owners.
Mr. Dickerson, a veteran political correspondent who joined CBS 16 years ago, was most recently a co-anchor of the flagship “CBS Evening News.”
“I am extremely grateful for all that CBS gave me — the work, the audience’s attention and the honor of being a part of the network’s history,” he wrote in a social media post. “I will miss you.”
The decision to leave CBS News was Mr. Dickerson’s alone, according to two people familiar with his thinking. But the people said he was cognizant that significant changes, including a revamp of the “Evening News,” were on the way at the news division, which is now under the editorial control of the opinion journalist Bari Weiss.
Ms. Weiss was appointed by Skydance, a Hollywood studio run by the technology heir David Ellison that completed its absorption of Paramount in August. The deal was approved by federal regulators after Paramount paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Trump against the CBS program “60 Minutes,” which he accused of deceptively editing an interview with his presidential opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Ms. Weiss, a frequent critic of traditional news organizations, has pledged to restore CBS’s trust with viewers, and she signaled in her first weeks on the job that she wants a new direction for the news division.
Ms. Weiss, in a recent meeting, asked the staff of “60 Minutes” why the country thinks they are biased, and she has mused about the possibility of hiring Bret Baier, the Fox News anchor, for a potential anchor position at the “CBS Evening News,” according to a person familiar with her remarks. Mr. Baier is on contract at Fox through the end of 2028; the idea she may approach Mr. Baier was first reported by the media newsletter Status.
“CBS Evening News,” which changed its format last year, has suffered from a sharp ratings decline and now badly lags its rivals at ABC and NBC. The program, which Mr. Dickerson co-anchors with Maurice DuBois, is expected to be reimagined in the months ahead.
Layoffs at Paramount Skydance are also expected to occur later this week, with CBS News bracing for deep job cuts.
Mr. Dickerson, 57, has a long family legacy at CBS News.
His mother, Nancy Dickerson, was a broadcast journalist who, in 1960, became CBS’s first female correspondent. Mr. Dickerson started his career as a print journalist at Time magazine and joined CBS News as a contributor in 2009. He has been its political director, the moderator of “Face the Nation,” and a co-host of the morning show, and he moderated a pair of televised primary debates in the 2016 campaign.
“John epitomizes the very best of journalism,” Tom Cibrowski, the president of CBS News, said in a statement on Monday.
Mr. Dickerson is also a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a co-host of Slate’s Political Gabfest podcast.
Michael M. Grynbaum writes about the intersection of media, politics and culture. He has been a media correspondent at The Times since 2016.
The post John Dickerson, Anchor and Correspondent, to Leave CBS News appeared first on New York Times.
