Ever since conservative-leaning commentator Bari Weiss was put in charge of CBS News, the network has seen anemic ratings and a lurching series of controversies — and now the higher-ups at Paramount-Skydance are talking about sidelining her.
This comes in spite of the company’s head, David Ellison, being notoriously Trump-friendly.
According to Puck News, “Bari has endured her role as media punching bag with relative aplomb, refusing to betray exhaustion or vulnerability while seeming to plow ahead with her plans to overhaul the network. Meanwhile, Ellison and the Paramount brass have afforded her ample leeway because they genuinely like her, endorse the editorial pivot, and, frankly, have far bigger priorities than the news division. But there are signs that the dynamics are starting to shift.”
“Members of the senior leadership team have had informal discussions about changing Bari’s mandate at CBS News — and, eventually, CNN — in ways that would give her less control over the linear product,” the report continued.
According to the report, there are no plans in stone yet, and “it’s unclear how involved David himself has been in the discussions” — however, per the broad strokes of the discussion, “Bari would likely cede day-to-day control over Evening News, CBS Mornings, and 60 Minutes to this more experienced, as-yet-unnamed executive, shifting her focus to the news division’s digital growth while maintaining broad editorial influence across all the company’s platforms.”
This comes after months of humiliating headlines making Weiss’ leadership seem rocky, including her interference to delay a “60 Minutes” story about the brutal conditions in a foreign torture prison Trump has sent migrants to — made even worse when Weiss threatened to sue a reporter over the incident.
“For now, it’s unclear whether leadership would enlist current CNN C.E.O. Mark Thompson for the linear role, though David has met with him in recent days, I’m told,” said the report — but it’s also possible Paramount will bring in outside leadership. “As you’ll recall, former Paramount president Jeff Shell had informal conversations with former CBS News president David Rhodes about serving in a similar role. Many CNN veterans still fantasize about the second coming of Jeff Zucker, who has quietly advised Bari at times, but most doubt that David would want to risk antagonizing Trump by hiring his old nemesis.”
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