Paramount is reportedly preparing to invest up to $200 million in Bari Weiss’ media venture, The Free Press, while potentially offering Weiss a senior editorial role at CBS News. The move would fold her outlet into the newly merged Paramount, with talks said to be in their final stages.
Weiss, a former New York Times opinion editor who launched The Free Press in 2022, is known for her outspoken criticism of progressive orthodoxy and left the Times citing its “illiberal environment.” Her potential leadership role has stirred tensions within CBS News, which is still adjusting to the $8 billion Skydance-Paramount merger.
The merger, finalized last month, ended decades of Redstone family control and placed CBS and CBS News under Skydance Media CEO David Ellison. The FCC approved the deal after Ellison agreed to major changes at CBS News, including installing an ombudsman to monitor bias, dismantling DEI programs, and committing to “viewpoint diversity.”
