The newly formed media corporation Paramount Skydance has acquired The Free Press, an online news and commentary outlet co-founded by Bari Weiss, who will join CBS News as editor-in-chief.
Weiss launched The Free Press in 2021 with her wife, Nellie Bowles, and her sister, Suzy Weiss. They have presented the publication as a heterodox alternative to the legacy news media and a bulwark against “ideological narratives[1],” particularly on the political left.
The acquisition is one of Skydance chief David Ellison’s most significant early moves to reshape the news unit at Paramount, which he acquired in a blockbuster $8 billion deal earlier this year.
In seeking federal approval of the merger, Skydance vowed[2] to embrace “diverse viewpoints” and represent “the varied ideological perspectives of American viewers.” The company also pledged to install an ombudsman[3] at the nearly 100-year-old CBS News operation.
“This partnership allows our ethos of fearless, independent journalism to reach an enormous, diverse, and influential audience,” Weiss said in a news release. “We honor the extraordinary legacy of CBS News by committing ourselves to a singular mission: building the most trusted news organization of the 21st Century.”
The Free Press has roughly 1.5 million subscribers on Substack, with more than 170,000 of them paid, according to Paramount Skydance. The Financial Times estimated[4] that the publication generates more than $15 million in annual subscription revenue. NBC News has not independently verified that figure.
“Bari is a proven champion of independent, principled journalism, and I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News,” Ellison said in a statement. “This move is part of Paramount’s bigger vision to modernize content and the way it connects — directly and passionately — to audiences around the world.”
The acquisition talks between Ellison and Weiss were first reported[5] in late June by Status, a media industry newsletter. Ellison is the son of billionaire tech mogul Larry Ellison, the co-founder of the software firm Oracle.
Weiss co-founded The Free Press after quitting the opinion section of The New York Times. In a resignation letter that was published online, Weiss decried what she characterized as the “illiberal environment” at the newspaper.
The Free Press earned wide attention in April 2024 after it published an essay[6] from Uri Berliner, a senior business editor at National Public Radio who accused his employer of organizing around a “progressive worldview.” Berliner then resigned from NPR and joined The Free Press.
The publication’s regular stable of columnists includes Tyler Cowen, an economist and podcaster; Matthew Continetti, the author of a book about the evolution of American conservatism; and Niall Ferguson, a British-American historian.
CBS News has repeatedly found itself in the national spotlight in recent months. President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit[7] last year against Paramount accusing “60 Minutes” of deceptively editing an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
CBS denied the claim. Paramount settled Trump’s lawsuit[8] for $16 million.
The Federal Communications Commission is still investigating whether CBS engaged in “news distortion.” The commission is chaired by Brendan Carr, who was appointed by Trump at the start of his second term.
References
- ^ ideological narratives (www.thefp.com)
- ^ vowed (www.nbcnews.com)
- ^ install an ombudsman (www.nbcnews.com)
- ^ The Financial Times estimated (www.ft.com)
- ^ first reported (www.status.news)
- ^ published an essay (www.thefp.com)
- ^ filed a lawsuit (www.nbcnews.com)
- ^ settled Trump’s lawsuit (www.nbcnews.com)