The new ownership of CBS News on Monday selected Kenneth R. Weinstein, a former chief executive of the Hudson Institute, a right-leaning policy think tank, to review complaints about its coverage in a new post as ombudsman at the network.
Mr. Weinstein, who has no experience overseeing news coverage, was an unexpected choice for the role. He will report to Jeff Shell, the new president of CBS’s parent company Paramount, which recently merged with the Hollywood studio Skydance.
Installing an ombudsman at CBS News was one of Skydance’s commitments to the Trump administration earlier this year when the company sought approval for its merger with Paramount.
Skydance’s founder, David Ellison, has pledged to revamp CBS News, which regularly lags ABC and NBC in the Nielsen ratings and recently endured a standoff with President Trump over accusations of editorial bias. Mr. Ellison is in talks to acquire The Free Press, an independent news outlet, and install its co-founder, Bari Weiss, in a senior editorial role at CBS News; last week, the network changed its rules for handling some political interviews after pressure from the Trump administration.
Mr. Weinstein has had a long career in right-leaning and neoconservative public policy circles. He is a firm and vocal champion of Israel and a frequent critic of the Biden administration, once comparing the Biden White House to the bumbling characters of the television show “Veep.”
He donated roughly $40,000 to Republican and pro-Trump political groups last year, according to federal disclosure forms. Mr. Weinstein has served on federal advisory boards under both Democratic and Republican presidents; in 2020, Mr. Trump nominated him to serve as ambassador to Japan.
Mr. Weinstein has also previously castigated CBS News for elements of its coverage. In a now-deleted post on X, he wrote that an interview in which the CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil challenged the author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his critical views of Israel might “save @CBSNews from utter condemnation.”
A statement from Paramount said that Mr. Weinstein “will serve as an independent, internal advocate for journalistic integrity and transparency.”
Mr. Shell, the president of Paramount, is already acquainted with Mr. Weinstein. They served together on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, now known as the U.S. Agency for Global Media, an independent federal agency that oversees U.S. government-supported civilian media such as Radio Free Asia. Mr. Weinstein was nominated for the board by former President Barack Obama in 2013.
“I’ve known him for many years and have great respect for his integrity, sound judgment, and thoughtful approach to complex issues,” Mr. Shell said in a statement, also praising his “calm, measured perspective.”
Skydance pledged to appoint an ombudsman in July, part of its commitments to the Federal Communications Commission to secure approval of its merger with Paramount. In a letter filed with the F.C.C. on July 22, Skydance said that the ombudsman, who would serve for “at least two years,” would “receive and evaluate any complaints of bias or other concerns involving CBS.” Mr. Weinstein would confer with Mr. Shell and George Cheeks, the executive who oversees CBS, before forwarding any complaints to the news division, the company said.
Ombudsmen are increasingly rare in American news organizations, which have aimed in recent years to minimize costs and limit internal criticism. The New York Times and The Washington Post, which both once had in-house watchdogs, now respond to reader concerns on social media in real-time.
It is unusual for a media company to install a layer of editorial scrutiny as part of a corporate merger, but there is some precedent. When Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp acquired The Wall Street Journal in 2007, it set up a committee of five members to provide additional oversight over the newspaper.
Despite the interest in Mr. Weinstein’s role, Skydance has said that the new ombudsman will not have direct authority over CBS News. Mr. Shell said at a news conference last month that the ombudsman would be “a transparency vehicle, not an oversight vehicle.”
Steve Capus, a former executive producer of “CBS Evening News,” worked with Mr. Weinstein at the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Mr. Capus said in an interview that Mr. Weinstein would be a “fair arbiter,” noting that he was adept at navigating political issues and observing the firewall between the federal government and journalists.
“It wasn’t just conservatives who respected him,” Mr. Capus said. “I’d be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt and see what he can do in the role.”
Benjamin Mullin reports for The Times on the major companies behind news and entertainment. Contact him securely on Signal at +1 530-961-3223 or at [email protected].
Michael M. Grynbaum is a media correspondent at The Times. He is the author of “Empire of the Elite,” a cultural history of Condé Nast magazines.
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