Paramount Skydance Corp. acquired the online news site the Free Press and named founder Bari Weiss editor-in-chief of CBS News, a move likely to stir controversy inside and outside of the venerable news organization.
Weiss, 41, will report to Paramount Chief Executive Officer David Ellison and oversee the editorial direction of a news division whose programs include the prestigious 60 Minutes and CBS News Sunday Morning. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but other outlets have reported the acquisition values the Free Press at about $150 million.
“Bari is a proven champion of independent, principled journalism, and I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News,” Ellison said in a statement on Monday. “This move is part of Paramount’s bigger vision to modernize content and the way it connects – directly and passionately – to audiences around the world.”
To discuss how Weiss' selection could change CBS News, hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec speak with Katie Fallow, Deputy Litigation Director for the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
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