Over the past couple of years, I have become an enthusiastic subscriber and reader of The Free Press. I've linked it many times, extolled it for its blend of rational voices from across the political spectrum, and for its clear-eyed and fair editorial direction. Weiss stood up to the Protection Racket Media establishment, and not only won, but now has conquered one of its most storied outposts ... even if it's in the form of a reverse conquest, so to speak:
Paramount said Monday that it has bought the commentary website The Free Press and installed its founder, Bari Weiss, as the editor-in-chief of CBS News.
The announcement, while anticipated, is a bold move for the venerable television news network initiated by new corporate leader David Ellison. Weiss’ experience is in print journalism, particularly in commentary.
“I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News,” Ellison said in a news release. “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.”
No purchase price was announced for The Free Press, which has been a success since Weiss started it after leaving The New York Times as an opinion writer. Some at CBS News have been concerned it is a sign that the news division was moving in a direction more friendly to President Donald Trump.
Ahem. It would hardly be possible for CBS News to move in a direction less friendly to Donald Trump. Their flagship news 'magazine' 60 Minutes literally cooked an interview to make his opponent look less incoherent in a desperate attempt to bolster her candidacy. Paramount paid $16 million or so for that corrupt act. If all that Weiss does is to cull out "narrative" journalism -- ie, propaganda -- from CBS News reporting, the Associated Press might shriek "MAGA!" at Paramount.
But conquests, like acquisitions, tend to change the conquerors as much as the conquered. Did Ellison buy the Free Press to allow Weiss to reshape the news at CBS, or for CBS to reshape The Free Press? Weiss wrote a message to her subscribers this morning pledging to remain firm in her approach, on both platforms:
As proud as we are of the 1.5 million subscribers who have joined under the banner of The Free Press—and we are astonished at that number—this is a country with 340 million people. We want our work to reach more of them, as quickly as possible.
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity allows us to do that. It gives The Free Press a chance to help reshape a storied media organization—to help guide CBS News into a future that honors those great values that underpin The Free Press and the best of American journalism. And in doing so, to bring our mission to millions of people.
The values that we’ve hammered out here over the years—journalism based in curiosity and honesty, a culture of healthy disagreement, our shared belief in America’s promise—now have the opportunity to go very, very big. ...
Our subscribers will still get the daily journalism they rely on: investigative reports, features, columns, podcasts, and more. And The Free Press, which will remain independent, will be growing even faster within Paramount. We’ll be investing heavily in this community, and so many of the things we’ve long dreamed about will become possible much more quickly.
What does this mean for CBS News? It means a redoubled commitment to great journalism. It means building on a storied legacy—and bringing that historic newsroom into 2025 and beyond. Most of all, it means working tirelessly to make sure CBS News is the most trusted news organization in the world.
Should we be celebrating Weiss' success? Absolutely. However, I wonder just how much Weiss can change CBS News, as opposed to how much it can change her -- and The Free Press. CBS News has a lot more history and entrenched culture than a webzine, and even though Weiss knows it, it's not clear whether she can move it in any direction, not even with Ellison's initial support and endorsement.
Let me offer two examples that feed my skepticism: the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. Jeff Bezos bought the WaPo and Patrick Soon-Shiong bought the Times, and for a few years let both run without any real intervention to redirect policies and approaches. When Bezos finally got tired of losing money, he tried to change the culture by bringing in Will Lewis and pushing a similar approach as Weiss pledges now ... and then spent the next year or so quelling staff revolts. It's still not clear where the Post is heading now, or even if their profitability has improved in the slightest.
As for the LA Times, Soon-Shiong claims that he will redirect that newspaper in a similar fashion. His staff has pushed back too, and so far, it seems as though Soon-Shiong hasn't done much but talk about change. At least Bezos is trying.
In both cases, even the owners have had little success in changing the culture and direction at media outlets with entrenched progressive workforces. Ellison's move here could be akin to Bezos bringing in Lewis at the WaPo, but will Ellison stick to his choice as Bezos did and get rid of staff who stands in the way of change? Or will he be more interested in other issues and future conquests? While I have great admiration for Weiss' grit and determination, I can't help but wonder whether Ellison might just get tired of reform at some point if CBS News staff and stars revolt, and give Weiss a golden parachute as the easiest option to keep the operation from collapsing.
The conquest may be complete. The question will be who conquered whom. Only Ellison can answer that in the long run. I'm rooting for Bari, but ... color me skeptical, about both CBS and the future of the Free Press.
Addendum: Bari has dropped the paywall at the Free Press for this week:
All our columns, investigations, livestreams, commentary, podcasts—you name it—will be paywall-free.
We’re also curating a collection of some of our best work—stories we think are worth revisiting—that you’ll be able to browse freely in one place.
We have a lot planned this week: fresh columns and essays from writers like Douglas Murray, Coleman Hughes, Tyler Cowen, Matti Friedman, Eli Lake, Suzy Weiss and, of course, Nellie Bowles’ TGIF.
I highly recommend that people take advantage of this offer. Let's just hope it's not the last gasp of a great independent platform.
