Paramount seems to be on the verge of securing rights for Bari Weiss’ Free Press, a predominantly right-leaning news outlet. This move is seen as one pushing Weiss into a pivotal role in CBS News’ operations. Paramount’s decision is well in line with CEO David Ellison’s vision and suggests a possible alignment with more conservative incline at CBS News.
Weiss, having founded Free Press in 2022 post her relationship with the New York Times as an opinion writer, has earned recognition, albeit selectively, for her unique stance and questioning of the excessive ‘wokeness’ prevalent in standard media. However, she doesn’t evade criticism, especially for her seeming bias towards certain influential individuals with similar viewpoints, such as Elon Musk post his 2022 Twitter acquisition and Peter Thiel.
Particularly noteworthy is her comfortable podcast interview with Thiel, where she evidently avoided demanding accountability for evasive responses. Clearly, illustrating her habit to avoid confronting those she seems to agree with whilst maintaining an illusion of ‘journalistic due diligence’.
CBS News isn’t unfamiliar with political combat, as it has often been the focus of Trump’s administration. To illustrate, CBS Source had to reconcile with a whopping $16 million settlement following a lawsuit pertaining to a ’60 Minutes’ interview with Kamala Harris. Yet, rather than take this as an opportunity for introspection, they have chosen to double down with their latest decision.
Subsequent to the Skydance merger, Paramount did express commitment towards fair news reporting by settling for an in-house ombudsman through negotiations with Trump’s administration. But given their vitriolic history, frictions between the two entities continue to be apparent, a fact that has been highlighted starkly over the past week.
Recently, Kristi Noem, the leader of the Department of Homeland Security, accused CBS of ‘whitewashing’ her extensive comments on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an unlawful immigrant. Noem branded Abrego Garcia as a ‘notorious human trafficker’ and ‘MS-13 gang member,’ albeit without providing any supporting legal evidence.
This egregious attempt to downplay her comments has sadly been defended by CBS during its ‘Face the Nation’ program, showing their clear unwillingness to present facts unsympathetic to their favoured narratives.
While CBS has a long-standing, esteemed heritage with stalwart journalists like Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow, its reputation currently hangs in the balance with such controversial decisions. Present contributions from star journalists such as Anderson Cooper, Bill Whitaker, and Lesley Stahl at ’60 Minutes’ do add value but certainly do not absolve CBS of its apparent inclination towards a single-sided narrative.
As Weiss rises from being an opinion writer to potentially playing a critical role in CBS News’ management, it’s likely she will face resistance, especially in the light of the resignations of Bill Owens, the esteemed ’60 Minutes’ executive producer, and Wendy McMahon, CBS News’ chief. Both cited intrusion from the corporate sector into the news division as the reason for their departure.
There is an undercurrent of apprehension within the organisation as sources have let slip that Paramount foresees additional resignations spurred by Weiss’ prospective acquisition.
Following Weiss’ exit from The New York Times in July 2020, she painted a grim picture of hostility towards ideological diversity. Weiss contended she was a victim of harassment, both offline and through internal channels of communication. Cleverly using these allegations to undermine the credibility of her previous employer.
Her accusations also extended to the newsroom’s editorial decisions, which Weiss claimed were becoming more influenced by Twitter’s most vocal critics instead of maintaining credible journalistic autonomy. But in reality, one could argue that Weiss herself largely echoes this ‘Twitter mob’ mindset, only from the other side of the aisle.
Weiss’ launch of the Free Press signalled her manoeuvring to create a platform often expressing criticism towards perceived left-leaning sociocultural perspectives. Purportedly offering a much-needed counterpoint to the progressive media and mainstream outlets usually voters to the left.
More strikingly, Weiss’ platform hosts a caravan of pro-Israel writers, and features journalists who left mainstream media citing supposed left-wing bias. What’s disappointing however, is that rather than promoting dialogue between different ideologies, the Free Press has seemingly become just another echo chamber, propagating its own version of the ‘truth’.
With these events transpiring, it’s crucial to observe how CBS navigates this politically-charged climate, whether CBS stays committed to its esteemed journalistic legacy or consigns itself to unchecked bias and propaganda. Only time can paint a clear picture of what’s in store for the celebrated CBS News. Their choices could either heal the divisiveness or make the chasm even deeper; only time will tell, and the audience is watching.
The post CBS News’ Reputation at Stake with Expected Bari Weiss Acquisition appeared first on Real News Now.
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