Shari Redstone approves of Bari Weiss taking editorial control of CBS News — saying it is a needed course correction that will give viewers a more “balanced” view of world events.
Redstone, ex-controlling shareholder of Paramount Global who sold her entertainment conglomerate to Skydance Media, praised Weiss on Thursday at Axios’ Media Trends event in New York, adding that TV news needs to be “more balanced” and “fact-based,” with audiences trusted “to hear different points of view.”
Weiss, who head The Free Press, a Substack-based online news publication, is said to be on the verge of selling her platform to Paramount Skydance boss David Ellison for anywhere between $100 million and $200 million.
The package deal reportedly includes Weiss taking a senior editorial role which will have her overseeing coverage at CBS News.
While Redstone is pleased with the prospect of Weiss taking the reins at CBS News, staffers at the Tiffany Network’s news division don’t appear to share the sentiment.
CBS News staffers are reportedly “apoplectic” and deeply unsettled over the possibility of Weiss taking a top job at the network.
Multiple sources describe the newsroom atmosphere as charged with apprehension, with many journalists bracing for significant changes in editorial direction, especially concerning coverage of sensitive topics like Israel and Gaza.
Some employees are said to be so opposed to Weiss’s management style and views that walkouts or resignations have been discussed, and insiders warn her arrival could ignite a major internal controversy.
“I know there’s been talk about Bari, and I think she would be a good voice, so I’m hopeful,” Redstone said, declining to discuss any deal details.
Redstone’s praise for Weiss contrasted with the unease chronicled by the Status newsletter, which cited nearly a dozen employees and people familiar with the goings-on at CNN.
Staffers at the struggling cable news pioneer are reportedly fearful of Weiss coming in to run the ship in light of reports that Ellison is preparing a bid to acquire CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.
Paramount Skydance is preparing a mostly cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery valued at about $22 to $24 per share, sources told CNBC on Friday.
The offer, expected later than initially planned, could be 70% to 80% cash backed partly by David Ellison’s father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, with the remainder in stock.
An Ellison-led takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery is fueling talk that he could also hand Weiss the reins of the cable channel — effectively giving her control of both CBS News and CNN.
Some fear CNN’s Trump coverage could be softened under Ellison and Weiss.
“People are very worried,” one employee told the media newsletter Status.
Another staffer was blunter: “No one knows what the hell to expect.”
CNN chief Mark Thompson has tried to calm nerves, urging employees to keep “a sense of proportion” and execute the network’s strategy while ownership speculation swirls.
He reiterated that message in internal meetings this week, according to the Status report.
But Thompson’s attempts to assuage staffers’ concerns doesn’t appear to be landing with the rank-and-file.
“Keep calm and carry on doesn’t cut it in this context,” one staffer told Status.
Weiss resigned from the New York Times in 2020, citing bullying and a hostile work environment due to her centrist and anti-woke views. She has since become a prominent critic of cancel culture and what she describes as ideological intolerance in media and society.
As editor in chief of The Free Press, Weiss has been unabashedly supportive of Israel — a stance that puts her in alignment with Redstone, who reportedly grew frustrated with CBS News over its coverage of the events in the Middle East.
“I’m not going to go into it from a business standpoint, but I do think she’s a voice that would bring a different perspective,” Redstone said on Thursday.
“And then I think at the end of the day, you’ve got to give your audience credit for being smart enough to hear different points of view and being able to narrow down on the facts.”
Redstone, daughter of the late media mogul Sumner Redstone, framed her Weiss remarks within a broader critique of TV journalism, arguing outlets must separate facts from opinion and “have people with different opinions and different sides.”
“We’ve gotten to the point where news needs to be more balanced. It needs to be fact-based,” Redstone said. In private conversations, Redstone has reportedly expressed frustration over CBS News and its left-leaning editorial tilt.
“I think that people’s opinions are getting confused with the facts, and I think we still have the same challenge we had before, which is we need more accountability, we need more standards, we need checks and balances, and we have to go back to a place where facts are what the news is about, and opinions are not facts.”
Redstone said on Thursday that “you can have opinions, but then you need to have people with different opinions and different sides, so people can hear everything.”
She also defended CBS’ decision to cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” calling late night “financially not viable.”
Redstone said that the decision to cancel Colbert was made “months prior to the announcement,” which sparked a backlash against the company given the host’s strident anti-Trump stance.
Prior to its merger with Skydance, Paramount Global paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Trump against subsidiary CBS News.
Trump filed suit after “60 Minutes” aired an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris that the president alleged was deceptively edited in order to make his Democratic opponent in the recent election look good.
Redstone, who reportedly favored reaching a settlement, was criticized for capitulating to Trump. The decision to cancel Colbert was seen as a continuing of the company’s catering to the president’s wishes.
But Redstone insisted the move to axe Colbert’s show came down to a simple calculation of dollars and cents.
“I love Stephen. He does a great job, but we really needed to be in a financially valuable business,” Redstone said.
“And you saw we did that with James Corden as well.”
Redstone declined to weigh in on ABC’s decision earlier this week to suspend “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” following host’s remarks about the Charlie Kirk assassination, though she did say that media companies need to be “thoughtful of the content we’re putting on air” in light of “division that exists in the country.”
A CBS News spokesperson declined to comment.
The Post has sought comment from Paramount Skydance, Weiss, CNN and Warner Bros. Discovery.
