She Swore Off Legacy Media. Now She's Running CBS News.

The Journal.

The Wall Street Journal

Daily News, Business News, News

4.2 • 5.3K Ratings

🗓️ 8 October 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Paramount has acquired news and opinion website the Free Press for $150 million. The company's co-founder, Bari Weiss, has a new job as editor in chief of CBS News. She's a polarizing figure, known for her outspoken support of Israel and strong views on topics like gun rights and DEI. WSJ’s Joe Flint on why Paramount thinks CBS News needs a shakeup. Jessica Mendoza hosts. Further Listening: -Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension and Trump’s FCC -What Killed 'The Late Show'? -Will Paramount Settle With Trump? Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Joe, what do you think of when you think of CBS News?
0:09.3	Well, I'm 60 years old.
0:12.4	So when I think of CBS News, I still think of Uncle Walter.
0:17.8	That's the way it is.
0:19.2	Monday, November 25th, 1963.
0:22.6	That would be Walter Cronkite, of course.
0:25.0	I think about Eric Severide, and then, of course, Dan Rather.
0:29.6	For the CBS evening news, Dan Rather reporting.
0:34.6	Good night.
0:36.0	I think about these legendary CBS anchors.
0:40.4	The Greats.
0:41.1	The Greats.
0:42.5	That's our colleague Joe Flint.
0:44.7	He covers media and entertainment.
0:46.4	Now that said, that's what I think of if you just caught me walking down the street.
0:52.7	If you said, Joe Flint, what do you think of CBS as media business reporter for the last,
0:59.5	you know, 35 or so years?
1:02.4	My take would be very different.
1:04.1	And I would talk about how CBS news, like all network newscasts, are struggling to remain
1:09.8	relevant and vital in a country that now gets
1:15.2	more and more of its news from opinionated websites, podcasts, cable news, and that it's a real challenge.
1:23.6	It's been hard times for all of broadcast news.
	...

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