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CBS News is set to hand over its reins to The Free Press co-founder Bari Weiss as Paramount acquires her company for $155M. David Ellison, CEO of Paramount called Weiss "a proven champion of independent, principled journalism." He's confident her "entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News." As editor-in-chief of CBS News, Weiss is to shape editorial priorities, champion core values across platforms, and lead innovation in how the organization reports and delivers the news. Weiss will report directly to Ellison and partner with CBS News president Tom Cibrowski, who reports to Paramount chair of TV media, George Cheeks. Weiss left her job at the Wall Street Journal to follow her boss Brett Stephens to the New York Times. She exited the paper in 2020, claiming that she had been “bullied” by liberal colleagues for her more conservative viewpoints. Expectedly, her leadership of CBS News has raised the ire of many liberal journalists. Founded in 2021, The Free Press has 1.5M subscribers, of which 170K of them are paid. Paramount is breaking down the site's paywall gthourgh October 12 for a special Free Press "free week."
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C-SPAN comes on board as an official media partner of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, the bipartisan Commission charged by Congress to lead the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. C-SPAN will carry America250 Commission events across all its platforms — television, web, social media, YouTube, radio, and podcasts. The network says it will provide a minimum of 48 hours of dedicated America250 programming each week across its television networks. “This partnership is a continuation of C-SPAN’s enduring commitment to civic education and transparency, ensuring all Americans can take part in the nation’s 250th anniversary,” said C-SPAN CEO Sam Feist.
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A new Gallup survey says that the level of trust that US audiences have in the media has hit a new low. Only 28 percent of those surveyed said that they had a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, television and radio. That number is down from 31 percent and 40 percent five years ago. On the flip side, 36 percent said that they had “not very much” confidence in the media, and 40 percent they had no confidence at all. When Gallup started measuring trust in the media in the 1970s, between 68 percent and 72 percent of respondents said they had confidence in reporting. However, by 2004, the number has dropped to 44 percent. For Republicans, the trust number descended into the single digits (eight percent), while 51 percent of Democrats said they trust the media. In addition, respondents 65 and older voiced a significantly higher level of trust (43 percent) than did any younger age group. “With confidence fractured along partisan and generational lines, the challenge for news organizations is not only to deliver fair and accurate reporting, but also to regain credibility across an increasingly polarized and skeptical public,” the study’s authors say.
Michael Kaminer, who was responsible for the Observer’s “Power List” for the past 13 years, has cut ties with the publication... The New York Times Company continues the march toward its goal of 15 million subscribers by the end of 2027... The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is providing more than $6 million in funding to eight organizations working to address the challenges local news and information environments face along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Conservative outlets Fox News, Newsmax and the Daily Caller are holding back from signing Pete Hegseth’s edict restricting press access in the Pentagon... CBS News sees the first executive departure of the Bari Weiss era as head of standards and practices Claudia Milne exits... Indiana University shuts down the print version of The Indiana Daily Student.
Rothschild family plans to unload 26.7 percent stake in The Economist... STAT, a digital media company that focuses the life sciences, brings back Damian Garde, who anchored its biotech newsletter and podcast from 2016 to 2024... High Times officially resumes print publication (following its 2024 shutdown) with the release of a limited-edition, collectible 50th anniversary issue. 
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has named Kenneth Weinstein, former head of the conservative Hudson Institute, as ombudsman for CBS News.
Newsmax Broadcasting has filed a federal antitrust suit against Fox Corporation and Fox News Network in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida... Condé Nast names Chloe Malle head of editorial content of Vogue U.S. Malle takes over from Anna Wintour, who has held the position since 1998... NBCUniversal says the upcoming NFL season marks its highest grossing to-date when it comes to overall advertising and partnerships revenue. 
