CBS execs worried Bari Weiss hire threw 'gasoline on the fire' with staff threats

News of a Tuesday morning all-hands meeting where CBS News head Bari Weiss’ hand-picked foreign desk editor threatened her subordinates with termination has created more headaches for the network.

According to Status, that editor, Shayndi Raice, later tried to smooth things over with some staffers at a pre-planned evening team-building cruise, after details of the meeting leaked.

Status reported earlier that Raice spent roughly 15 minutes during a Tuesday morning meeting defending her editorial decisions on coverage of Israel. In audio obtained by Status, she warned staffers: “that is called insubordination, and it’s legal grounds for firing.”

Status’ Oliver Darcy reported that CBS News staffers boarded a pre-planned cruise the next evening, with Raice among them. According to people familiar with the matter, the “embattled” foreign chief, as Darcy called her, expressed regret to certain members of the foreign desk for the tone she took on Tuesday’s call. The remarks were not made to the whole group but in individual conversations throughout the evening, Darcy wrote. He said it’s unclear whether she apologized for anything beyond her tone.

“It was the weirdest f------ ing night,” one attendee told Status.

Darcy also reported that the “stunning” meeting, in his words, caught at least some members of CBS News’ senior leadership in New York by surprise. He said it’s unclear whether the turmoil prompted a call from top management. In his own assessment, Darcy wrote that “rather than extinguish the controversy surrounding her editorial decisions, Raice poured gasoline on the fire—and then some.”

According to Status, some members of the foreign desk have lost trust in their new boss. Darcy wrote that the episode “reflects poorly on Weiss” and “raises serious questions about her judgment.” Raice, a former Wall Street Journal deputy editor, was installed as foreign editor this year. The outlet reported that the London bureau is among those "angered by the episode"