Journalists and media observers on Thursday harshly criticized Paramount Network's deal to purchase The Free Press, a pro-Israel conservative website run by former New York Times editor Bari Weiss.
The New York Post reported that Paramount, which owns CBS News, agreed to pay Weiss around $150 million for The Free Press in a mix of cash and stock. The deal has been in the works for several months, with initial estimates suggesting Paramount might purchase the outlet for as high as $250 million.
In an unusual move, Paramount announced that Weiss would be named editor in chief of CBS News but should be reporting directly to Paramount CEO David Ellison instead of CBS News’ President Tom Cibrowski or to the head of TV at Paramount, George Cheek.
The news garnered significant pushback on social media.
"It took 20 years to go from Dan Rather to Bari Weiss," journalist Marcy Wheeler posted on Bluesky.
"Bari Weiss, an opinion writer, running CBS News? A real newsroom? With real reporters covering real beats?" journalist Bill Grueskin posted on Bluesky.
"Everyone at CBS News should quit in protest. This is a travesty," journalist Walker Bragman posted on Bluesky. "Bari Weiss is a misinformation-peddling right-wing operative. She’s totally unqualified for this job."
"The oligarchs are seizing all of the legacy media to turn them into their propaganda organs," Harvard cybersecurity law professor Alejandra Caraballo posted on Bluesky.
"Like Charlie Kirk, Bari Weiss shows that the only talent that really matters is the ability to extract large amounts of cash from right-wing billionaires and turn it into power," journalist Dorian Lynskey posted on Bluesky. "If you can master that one weird trick, the sky’s the limit."
"A heartwarming story of how being an unethical and talentless hack is no barrier to success when you are willing to endlessly flatter the wretched views of rich dips----," New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie posted on Bluesky.
"The same people who complained about liberal bias at the main TV networks when they were never run by anyone as ideologically biased and polarizing as Bari Weiss is will have nothing to say now about this," Mehdi Hasan, founder of Zeteo News, posted on X.