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Paramount has appointed ex- NYT columnist Bari Weiss to direct CBS News, marking the latest move by recent acquirers to restructure activities of a prominent American news outlets.

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

Ms Weiss, who has criticised broadcast media for becoming too partisan, said she was excited to shape CBS, which was taken over by David Ellison in recent months as part of a broader merger with Paramount.

Profile of the Executive

Ms Weiss, who started her career at Jewish publications, is noted for her advocacy of Israel and her questioning of "cancel culture".

Beginning as a newsletter in 2021, The Free Press has accumulated 1.5 million readers, including over 170,000 paid subscribers.

It has garnered notice for reports such as a feature skeptical of NPR by one of its previous business editors, as well as an investigation of some images used by mainstream news outlets to depict famine in Gaza.

Notable contributors include scholar Niall Ferguson and economist Tyler Cowen.

Strategic Plans

Mr Ellison said the hiring of Ms Weiss as chief editor was part of a broader campaign to update coverage at Paramount and make CBS the "most reliable name in news".

"We believe the majority of the country desires news that is balanced and fact-based, and we want CBS to be their home," he said.

More Change at CBS

Terms of the arrangement were not made public. Paramount refused to discuss stories that the firm had paid $150 million in equity and currency.

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

He has said his aim is to produce coverage that is less politically skewed, and therefore has the potential to reach all demographics.

His acquisition of Paramount was cleared by government authorities this season, after the company committed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit.

To obtain consent of the acquisition, Mr Ellison committed to establish an external reviewer at CBS to review allegations of bias and vowed to authorities that programming would showcase a range of view points.

He also said CBS's long-running political show "Face the Nation" would discontinue air altered conversations.

Alliance Facts

CBS News has a partnership agreement with an international broadcaster, meaning news reporting including visual material can be shared.

In a statement announcing the arrangement, Ms Weiss said she believed in the Paramount leader and his management group.

"They are making significant investments because they support news. Because they have courage. Because they love this country. And because they appreciate, as we do, that America cannot succeed without shared information, universal realities, and a common reality," she commented.