The newly merged entertainment and media company Paramount Skydance has taken a bold step into the digital journalism world by acquiring The Free Press, the online publication co-founded by journalist Bari Weiss. Alongside the deal, Weiss has been appointed as Editor-in-Chief of CBS News, marking a significant editorial change at one of America’s most established news networks.
This move comes just months after David Ellison, CEO of Skydance and son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, finalized his company’s $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global. The merger combined Skydance’s technology-driven entertainment business with Paramount’s long-standing media assets, including CBS. Now, Ellison appears intent on reshaping the network’s journalistic direction.
The Free Press Joins Mainstream Media
Founded in 2021 by Bari Weiss, along with her wife Nellie Bowles and her sister Suzy Weiss, The Free Press has built a reputation as an outlet that challenges conventional newsroom thinking. The publication presents itself as a space for diverse and sometimes dissenting viewpoints, appealing to readers frustrated with what they see as ideological bias in mainstream media.
Operating primarily through Substack, The Free Press has amassed an audience of around 1.5 million subscribers, including over 170,000 paid readers, according to figures shared by Paramount Skydance. Estimates from The Financial Times suggest the outlet generates roughly $15 million annually from subscriptions — a testament to its influence in the growing independent media space.
Under the acquisition, The Free Press will be folded into CBS News’ digital division. Weiss will oversee editorial strategy across CBS’s television, streaming, and online platforms, signaling an effort to blend traditional journalism with the authenticity and audience engagement of independent media.
A Push for Broader Viewpoints
David Ellison has presented this merger as part of a larger plan to modernize CBS News while reaffirming its credibility. During the regulatory review of the Paramount-Skydance merger, the company pledged to reflect “diverse viewpoints” and to appoint an ombudsman to oversee fairness and editorial standards.
Ellison’s strategy appears to align with Weiss’s own brand of journalism — one that values intellectual diversity and encourages open debate. Her leadership is expected to introduce a more pluralistic editorial tone at CBS, potentially expanding the network’s appeal to audiences across the political spectrum.
Weiss’s Path from the Times to The Free Press
Bari Weiss rose to national prominence during her tenure as an opinion editor and writer at The New York Times, where she often criticized the state of modern newsrooms for what she described as a lack of ideological tolerance. Her public resignation from the Times in 2020 — in which she denounced the paper’s “illiberal environment” — made headlines and established her as a vocal advocate for editorial independence.
After leaving the Times, Weiss launched The Free Press, attracting contributors from a range of disciplines. The publication gained widespread attention in 2024 after publishing an essay by Uri Berliner, then a senior business editor at NPR, who accused the network of promoting a “progressive worldview.” Berliner later resigned from NPR and joined The Free Press, further boosting the outlet’s visibility.
The site also features essays from figures such as economist Tyler Cowen, author Matthew Continetti, and historian Niall Ferguson, reflecting its commitment to showcasing varied political and intellectual perspectives.
CBS News Under Pressure
Weiss’s arrival at CBS comes at a challenging moment for the network. Paramount recently settled a $16 million lawsuit with President Donald Trump, who alleged that CBS’s 60 Minutes had deceptively edited an interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris. While CBS denied any wrongdoing, the settlement reignited political debates about media bias and editorial ethics.
Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is conducting an ongoing investigation into possible “news distortion” at CBS. The inquiry, overseen by FCC Chair Brendan Carr, appointed by Trump, has intensified scrutiny of how the network handles politically sensitive coverage.
