Does Bari Weiss Prove Woke Media Is Collapsing?

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Oct 6, 2025

Eric Boehm, a reporter for Reason, joins to dissect significant media shifts, such as Bari Weiss's rise to editor at CBS and the impact of her previous sale of The Free Press. The panel debates if platforms like Substack signal a renaissance in journalism or fuel media chaos. They also tackle Trump's controversial troop deployments, constitutional implications, and leaked violent fantasies from a Virginia AG candidate. Discussions even venture into the challenges facing libertarians amidst Argentina's economic turmoil.

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INSIGHT

Platform-Driven Media Opportunity

Bari Weiss's Free Press success shows underserved mainstream audiences exist outside legacy outlets.
New platforms like Substack enable targeted journalism that legacy networks struggle to reach.

INSIGHT

Different Skills For Legacy Newsrooms

Success as a newsletter founder doesn't guarantee success running a massive legacy newsroom.
Different skills are required to scale editorial vision across TV, online, and large staff structures.

INSIGHT

Owners Matter Less Than Readership

Polarizing founders can still rejuvenate failing legacy media if they deliver journalism readers want.
Ownership changes matter less than whether outlets regain readership and relevance.

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This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Nick Gillespie are joined by Reason reporter Eric Boehm to discuss Paramount's $150 million acquisition of The Free Press and Bari Weiss' promotion to editor in chief at CBS News. They examine whether this represents a backlash to "woke" media, and debate if the success of outlets on Substack and YouTube shows that journalism may be entering a period of entrepreneurship and renewal rather than decline.

The panel then turns to President Donald Trump's controversial National Guard deployments to cities like Portland and Chicago, weighing its constitutional limits and political consequences. They also cover the leaked texts from Virginia's Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones about shooting his Republican rival, and the fallout for Democrats in a critical election year. A listener asks the editors to reflect on whether libertarians should focus more on defending freedom as an end in itself or on steering society toward specific outcomes. Finally, the conversation touches on Argentina's economic crisis and what it means for libertarians.

0:00—Bari Weiss named editor in chief at CBS News

13:32—Consolidation and the changing media landscape

20:58—Federal troops deployed to Chicago and Portland

38:17—Democrat attorney general candidate fantasizes about political violence

48:07—Listener question on prioritizing process over purpose

56:37—What Argentina's bailout means for libertarianism

1:00:35—Weekly cultural recommendations

Mentioned in This Podcast

"The Future of the Free Press," by Bari Weiss

"Letter To All CBS News Employees," by Bari Weiss

"Domination Fantasies: Does Rupert Murdoch control the media? Does Anyone?" by Ben Compaine

"Mergers & Disquisitions: Reasons not to sweat AOL-Time Warner--and other megadeals," by Nick Gillespie

"Trump's Troops Return to a City That Moved On: Dispatch From Portland," by Nancy Rommelman

"Sending in the Guard," by Liz Wolfe

"Oregon Court Strikes Down Trump's Federalization of National Guard," by David Post

"Deploying Federal Troops Is Not a Sustainable Solution to Crime in American Cities," by Katherine Mangu-Ward

"A Judge Blocked the Trump Administration From Deploying National Guard Troops to Oregon," by Shawn Hubler, Anna Griffin, and Eric Schmitt

"Dem AG Nominee Jay Jones Fantasized About Shooting Former Virginia GOP Speaker: 'He Receives Both Bullets,'" by Audrey Fahlberg

"Politically Motivated Violence Is Rare in the United States," by Alex Nowrasteh

"The Agony of Abundance," by Nick Gillespie

"Bail Out Argentina," by David Frum

"Why Is Trump Bailing Out Argentina?" by Paul Krugman

"Why is Argentina the IMF's biggest deadbeat?" by Steve Hanke

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Producer: Paul Alexander
Video Editor: Ian Keyser

The post Does Bari Weiss Prove Woke Media Is Collapsing? appeared first on Reason.com.