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Paramount has appointed former New York Times opinion writer Bari Weiss to lead CBS News, signaling the newest move by current leadership to restructure operations of a prominent American news networks.

Paramount is additionally buying The Free Press, the web-based platform Weiss founded after her acrimonious exit from the New York Times, in a agreement estimated to be worth $150 million.

Ms Weiss, who has challenged network journalism for becoming overly political, said she was eager to influence CBS, which was taken over by David Ellison earlier this year as part of a wider merger with Paramount.

Background of the Executive

Ms Weiss, who commenced her work at Jewish news outlets, is recognized for her backing of Israel and her skepticism of "call-out culture".

Since its start as a newsletter in 2021, The Free Press has attracted 1.5 million followers, including over 170,000 subscribing supporters.

It has drawn attention for reports such as a feature critical of NPR by one of its previous business editors, as well as an investigation of some photos used by mainstream news outlets to showcase famine in Gaza.

Big name contributors include academic Niall Ferguson and economist Tyler Cowen.

Strategic Plans

Mr Ellison said the selection of Ms Weiss as top editorial position was part of a bigger campaign to refresh content at Paramount and make CBS the "most credible name in news".

"We are convinced the greater part of the country longs for news that is even-handed and fact-based, and we want CBS to be their home," he said.

Additional Shifts at CBS

Specifics of the deal were not made public. Paramount would not address accounts that the company had paid $150 million in shares and money.

Mr Ellison built his career as a Hollywood movie maker of major films such as Top Gun Maverick, True Grit and World War Z.

He has said his goal is to produce coverage that is less partisan, and therefore has the capacity to engage all demographics.

His takeover of Paramount was cleared by regulators this season, after the company agreed to pay $16 million to conclude a court case.

To obtain consent of the deal, Mr Ellison agreed to create an external reviewer at CBS to review complaints of bias and promised to authorities that programming would reflect a variety of view points.

He additionally said CBS's established political show "Face the Nation" would cease to air edited interviews.

Alliance Facts

CBS News has a collaborative arrangement with an international broadcaster, meaning news content including recorded segments can be exchanged.

In a note declaring the deal, Ms Weiss said she believed in the Paramount boss and his leadership team.

"They are committing fully because they believe in news. Because they have courage. Because they value this country. And because they recognize, as we do, that America cannot succeed without shared information, universal realities, and a common reality," she commented.