Paramount Skydance acquired Bari Weiss’s the Free Press on Monday, and Weiss will serve simultaneously as the editor-in-chief for both the online news and commentary site, as well as CBS News, per the announcement.
“This move is a testament to many things: The Free Press team; the vision of Paramount’s new leaders; the luck of starting an independent media company at the right moment; and the courage of my colleagues to leave behind old worlds to build a new one,” Weiss wrote.
Weiss started the Free Press in 2021 — first as a newsletter named “Commonsense” and then as a complete media site in 2022 — after she left the New York Times as a reporter and editor, citing the failure of “old media institutions.”
The Free Press will remain independent, according to Weiss’s statement. The publication currently boasts 1.5 million subscribers on Substack, 170,000 of which are paid, according to Paramount Skydance.
Weiss will work with CBS News President Tom Cibrowski to “shape editorial priorities, champion core values across platforms, and lead innovation in how the organization reports and delivers the news,” according to Paramount. Weiss, however, will report directly to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison.
“We believe the majority of the country longs for news that is balanced and fact-based, and we want CBS to be their home,” said Ellison, who became the CEO in August after Skydance Media successfully merged with Paramount Global.
Weiss noted her trust in the new leadership at Paramount Skydance.
“We would not be doing this if we did not believe in David Ellison, and the entire leadership team who took over Paramount this summer,” Weiss said. “They are doubling down because they believe in news. Because they have courage. Because they love this country. And because they understand, as we do, that America cannot thrive without common facts, common truths, and a common reality.”