[Image by: Daniel Paik/Paramount]
Obviously, I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for self-described “consistently liberal Jewish lesbian from Pittsburgh” Bari Weiss. On Monday, she officially sold her publication, The Free Press, to Paramount and took over as CBS News editor-in-chief. The deal is believed to value the Substack publication at $150 million. No, I’m not crying, you are.
It’s an amazing deal for Weiss and her co-founders – wife, Nellie Bowles, and sister, Suzy. But I can’t help but be a little disappointed. As readers will know, Weiss left her role on the opinion desk at the New York Times in a high-profile exit. In her (in)famous resignation letter, she complained of a lack of “intellectual curiosity” at the NYT, adding that such behaviour was “now a liability” at her then employer.
As places like The Times and other once-great journalistic institutions betray their standards and lose sight of their principles, Americans still hunger for news that is accurate, opinions that are vital, and debate that is sincere.
Weiss’s whole raison d’être became not rebuilding old institutions, but creating new ones. (She’s even started a university.) Now, in an about turn, she is going to be in charge of reshaping one of America’s most venerable news outlets. (Ed: Insert Walter Cronkite reference here.)
Bari Weiss Returns to Old Media
The reactions to the deal have be generally split along partisan lines. Almost certainly, we are going to have a steady drip of stories about CBS newsroom unhappiness very soon. It will be interesting to see whether Weiss’s arrival will have a real discernible impact on output. Presumably it’s meant to, which is why she reports to Paramount boss David Ellison. Announcing the purchase, he said:
We are thrilled to welcome Bari and The Free Press to Paramount and CBS News. Bari is a proven champion of independent, principled journalism, and I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News.
The intention is clear. As part of the agreement, The Free Press will continue to do what it does. They’ve even brought the paywall down for a week so the site can introduce itself to new readers.
It’s not only Paramount where these moves are happening. As Jessica Testa noted in the New York Times:
Fox partnered this year with Barstool Sports, the “Ruthless” podcast and Brett Cooper, a YouTube star — though none of those creators were named editors in chief.
I wish Bari Weiss and co. well. With a wife and two kids, it’s almost impossible to turn down the kind of money she was offered. You only get these opportunities once. And yet… it makes me sad that in an age in which creating, building and engaging has never been more possible, the ultimate end game in media still seems to be taking a cheque from one of the old guard.
[Image credit: Daniel Paik/Paramount]
About the Author
