We had heard whispers of this deal and now it's here:
Weiss made headlines in 2020 when she left The New York Times after accusing her colleagues of bullying her. She launched the Common Sense newsletter in 2021, rebranding it as The Free Press in 2022, which become a popular news media company.
Here's Weiss on the announcement:
Weiss also sent an email to The Free Press subscribers:
'We're a news organization, so I'll get right to it: This morning, The Free Press is joining Paramount,' Weiss wrote in an email to readers.
'This move is a testament to many things: The Free Press team; the vision of Paramount's new leaders; the luck of starting an independent media company at the right moment; and the courage of my colleagues to leave behind old worlds to build a new one,' she continued. 'But, above all, it's a testament to you, our subscribers.'
This was reportedly a memo she sent out to all CBS News staffers on Monday:
Paramount's new owner David Ellison (son of Larry Ellison, the second-richest man in the world, whose company Oracle is set to take a stake in the American spinoff of TikTok) has been a huge fan of Bari Weiss and The Free Press.
'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. 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,' Ellison said in a statement.
'This is an important initiative for our company and Bari will report directly to me - leading the work of The Free Press and collaborating with our CBS News team in the pursuit of making it the most trusted name in news,' Ellison added. 'We believe the majority of the country longs for news that is balanced and fact-based, and we want CBS to be their home.'
Weiss now hopes to transition CBS News into a "media company built on trust rather than partisanship." Meanwhile, she'll remain CEO and editor-in-chief at The Free Press.
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