The union representing many employees at CBS News told the workers to ignore an email from new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, warning any reply could lead to their ouster.
Weiss, a conservative, was appointed editor-in-chief of CBS News earlier this month following Paramount’s $150 million purchase of The Free Press, a digital outlet she co-founded. The move led to widespread backlash, including from several MAGA influencers.
Weiss told her new staffers Friday she was eager “to understand how you spend your working hours — and ideally, what you’ve made (or are making) that you are most proud of,” Variety reported.
All employees in the news division were asked to reply with the details by Tuesday, as well as "your views on what’s working; what’s broken or substandard; and how we can be better." She insisted the responses would be "held in the strictest of confidence."
But the Writers Guild of America had other ideas, telling its members, "We are aware that Bari Weiss sent an email asking CBS employees to provide information about their jobs and feedback about CBS News. Many of you have expressed concern to us about the purpose of the email, and we share those concerns.”
The union added: “That is why we sent the company an immediate demand to provide information about the email by Monday. We suggest that you refrain from responding until we are able to share the information that we receive so that you can make an informed decision by the Tuesday deadline.”