Katie Couric Slams CBS Restructuring, Warns Bari Weiss Could Threaten Independent Journalis
Veteran journalist Katie Couric is raising alarms over CBS News’ new editorial shakeup, saying the network’s corporate owner, Paramount Skydance, is “compromising independent journalism” by putting Bari Weiss in charge.
Speaking at a New York gala, Couric criticized the decision to fold Weiss’ Free Press newsletter into CBS News and install her atop the editorial team, bypassing decades of established management. “The whole setup with the Ellisons bringing her in and buying the Free Press is compromising independent journalism,” Couric said, recalling a time when newsroom boundaries were respected and business interference kept at bay.
Couric didn’t comment on Weiss’ editorial choices directly, but warned about the broader implications of ownership influence on news operations. She called today’s media environment “perilous,” citing blurred lines between corporate interests and journalistic independence, amid political pressures, regulatory threats, and aggressive ownership changes.
Weiss, 41, has wasted no time stamping her authority on CBS News. Sources say she quietly recruited former Wall Street Journal deputy editor Charles Forelle, a move that reportedly surprised CBS News president Tom Cibrowski. The shakeup has already seen the exit of longtime standards chief Claudia Milne
Insiders say Weiss is also reshaping the network’s editorial tone, pushing for more conservative guests, questioning perceived bias at 60 Minutes, and signaling possible changes for veteran correspondents Scott Pelley and Bill Whitaker.
One CBS insider told The Post: “Bari isn’t wrong to try to bring in new people… most of the show’s correspondents and viewers are geriatric.”
As Paramount Skydance navigates its ongoing restructuring, critics like Couric worry that editorial independence may become a casualty of corporate consolidation and ideological shifts at one of America’s most prominent news networks.
