Weiss arrives with a mandate to redefine the CBS News brand in the eyes of the public and refine its news coverage. She is seen as a change agent for a network regularly accused by President Trump and his political allies of liberal bias.
"Bari is a proven champion of independent, principled journalism, and I am confident her entrepreneurial drive and editorial vision will invigorate CBS News," said David Ellison, the CEO of parent company Skydance Media, in a statement Monday, adding that Weiss will report directly to him. "We believe the majority of the country longs for news that is balanced and fact-based, and we want CBS to be their home."
In a note to staff, Ellison decried partisanship as a threat to communities. The media, he said, also played a role.
"Too often it has become a platform that amplifies the very partisanship tearing our society apart," he wrote.
Weiss echoed that view in a note to subscribers, saying that the majority of Americans, who are neither part of "an America-loathing far left" or "a history-erasing far right," have been ill-served, and she sees this as an opportunity to reach them as quickly as possible.
