The Journal. – “She Swore Off Legacy Media. Now She's Running CBS News.”
Date: October 8, 2025
Hosts: Ryan Knutson, Jessica Mendoza
Guest: Joe Flint (WSJ media reporter)
Episode Overview
This episode delves into a major shakeup at CBS News: the appointment of Bari Weiss, former opinion editor and founder of The Free Press, as the new editor in chief. Against the backdrop of lawsuits, a corporate merger, and the struggles of traditional TV news, the hosts and reporter Joe Flint explore how Weiss’s controversial perspectives and outsider status are poised to transform one of America’s storied newsrooms.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. CBS News: Storied Past, Uncertain Present
- Joe Flint recounts CBS News’s legacy: iconic figures like Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather, once a trusted authority in American households ([00:09]).
- Quote (Joe Flint, 00:09): “I still think of Uncle Walter. … That would be Walter Cronkite. … And then, of course, Dan Rather.”
- Yet, like all network newscasts, CBS has struggled to stay relevant as audiences drift toward opinionated digital platforms ([00:46]).
- Joe, as a veteran media reporter: “My take would be very different… CBS News, like all network newscasts, are struggling to remain relevant and vital.”
2. The Tumult Leading Up to Bari Weiss’s Appointment
- CBS was rocked by a $16 million settlement of a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump ([01:35]), and subsequently, parent company Paramount merged with Skydance Media in an $8 billion deal ([01:47]).
- Paramount, now under CEO David Ellison, is trying a bold new strategy: buying The Free Press and putting Bari Weiss, its co-founder, in charge of CBS News ([02:30]).
- Quote (Joe Flint, 02:30): “This is a wild sort of Hail Mary… We need to take a bold action.”
3. Bari Weiss: From Opinion Editor to Startup Media Exec
- Weiss worked at Jewish-focused publications, then at The Wall Street Journal, then The New York Times’ Opinion section until a dramatic exit in 2020 ([04:14]–[05:23]).
- Quote (Bari Weiss’s resignation letter, read by Joe Flint, 05:03): “The paper of record is more and more the record of those living in a distant galaxy, one whose concerns are profoundly removed from … most people.”
- Joe on this exit ([05:23]): “Very much a mic drop moment.”
- After leaving the NYT, Weiss launched a Substack newsletter that became The Free Press, a news and opinion site known for its pro-Israel stance and criticism of higher education’s political climate ([05:55]).
- Weiss also made headlines for high-profile interviews — Amy Coney Barrett, Woody Allen, Teamsters president Sean O'Brien — across ideological and cultural boundaries ([06:47]–[07:43]).
4. The Free Press: A Startup Success Story
- The Free Press amassed over a million subscribers, with 175,000 paid, and nearly $20 million in recent revenue ([07:56]).
- “They have revenue figures approaching $20 million. They’ve definitely built a business.”
5. Behind the Skydance–Paramount Merger
- Skydance’s CEO David Ellison admired Weiss and her work before the acquisition ([10:11]). The relationship became serious at Sun Valley, a hub for media power players ([10:45]).
- This week: Paramount acquires The Free Press for a reported $150 million, with Weiss getting the top editorial job at CBS News ([11:04]).
- Quote (Joe Flint, 11:19): “In terms of a startup news site that’s a few years old, that’s a pretty good piece of money.”
6. A New Vision for CBS News
- Ellison’s post-acquisition memo laments the decline of true dialogue, seeing the media as caught in partisan battles ([11:40]).
- Cable: Fox News right, MSNBC left; broadcast perceived as left. Ellison wants a centrist space, with Weiss guiding that shift ([11:55]).
- Quote (David Ellison, memo read by host, 11:55):
“The space once reserved for thoughtful dialogue has been consumed by partisan division and hostile disputes…”
7. Bari Weiss’s Editorial Mandate: Tell Me Something I Don’t Know
- Weiss’s mantra: “Tell me something I don’t know. Help me make sense of a strange upside down and inverted world.” ([12:28])
- Host notes this is Journalism 101, but Flint explains: Weiss wants reporting without telling audiences how to feel, avoiding embedded opinion ([13:03]–[13:18]).
- Quote (Joe Flint, 13:18): “Stop telling me how I’m supposed to think. Stop telling me what I’m supposed to be outraged at. You just tell me what happened…”
8. Controversy Inside CBS
- Some at CBS News worry about an opinion-heavy journalist as an outsider at the helm ([13:52]).
- “She’s going to have a learning curve there,” Flint acknowledges.
- Weiss, per her interview with Flint, claims to have “very tough skin” and is prepared to handle internal skepticism ([14:07]).
9. Success Metrics and the Path Forward
- For Weiss, success is shifting both ratings (even slightly — “they would probably bring out the champagne” for a one-point uptick, [14:34]) and perceptions — re-centering broadcast news away from partisanship ([14:34]).
- “But I think the other thing will be if she can change just a little the perception of all network news, that it just leans heavily to one side and bring it back to the middle, that would be a big deal.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Legacy Image of CBS News
- Joe Flint ([00:09]): “When I think of CBS News, I still think of Uncle Walter. … Dan Rather reporting.”
- Bari Weiss’s Resignation Letter (2020; quoted at [05:03])
- “The paper of record is more and more the record of those living in a distant galaxy, one whose concerns are profoundly removed from the of most people.”
- On Editorial Philosophy
- Bari Weiss (as told to Flint, [12:28]): “Tell me something I don’t know. Help me make sense of a strange upside down and inverted world.”
- Skepticism about Weiss at CBS
- Joe Flint ([14:07]): “She’s going to have a learning curve there. … She said she has a very tough skin and isn’t scared off by that.”
Important Segment Timestamps
- Legacy & perception of CBS News: [00:09]–[01:23]
- CBS’s legal and business turmoil: [01:23]–[02:30]
- Introduction & background on Bari Weiss: [03:27]–[05:23]
- The Free Press editorial stance & impact: [05:40]–[07:56]
- Details of the Skydance–Paramount merger: [08:22]–[11:19]
- David Ellison’s vision & Bari Weiss’s editorial mandate: [11:40]–[13:18]
- Internal CBS News reactions to Weiss: [13:52]–[14:22]
- Defining success at CBS under Weiss: [14:22]–[15:32]
Summary Assessment
This episode captures a dramatic moment for American broadcast media, chronicling CBS News’s attempt to regain relevance with a polarizing but influential outsider. The discussion thoughtfully unpacks both the strategic business moves and journalistic ideals in play, while highlighting the tension — and potential — in shifting legacy institutions toward new ground. Both enthusiastic and skeptical voices appear, maintaining the journalistic tone and complexity promised by the hosts.