Bari Weiss would be given the keys to CNN if the Warner Bros. Discovery-Paramount Skydance merger goes through, according to a report.
Axios reports that the 42-year-old Weiss, who has spent the past year implementing radical changes at CBS News as editor-in-chief, is earmarked to run CNN’s editorial side while multiple candidates are up to run the business side.
Current CNN CEO Mark Thompson, NBCUniversal News Group chairman Cesar Conde, former NBC News chief Noah Oppenheim, Daily Beast CEO Ben Sherwood and former CBS News president David Rhodes are reportedly all in the running to team up with Weiss for whatever new direction CNN would take should the merger go through.
Weiss, who had no broadcast television experience and founded the right-leaning publication The Free Press before joining CBS News, has radically altered the network in her brief time as Editor-in-Chief.
The network has hemorrhaged staff, including some of the industry’s most respected correspondents, as Weiss tries to push the once neutral CBS in a rightward direction.
60 Minutes has suffered the brunt of Weiss’ direction, as she fired correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, as well as executive producer Tanya Simon.
She then installed tech journalist Nick Bilton as the new executive producer, who promptly fired veteran correspondent Scott Pelley after Pelley berated him and Weiss for what he called their destruction of the show.
Pelley went on to describe the network as “on fire” and implied Weiss is vastly under-qualified to handle her current job.
However, her boss reportedly doesn’t agree.
David Ellison, a Trump ally who runs CBS’ parent company Paramount Skydance, is said to be thrilled with Weiss’ performance.
A source told Axios, “The Paramount brass loves Bari Weiss… She has the full confidence of David Ellison, who believes Bari has done a fantastic job as editor-in-chief.”
President Donald Trump also appears pleased, mostly because of the departure of some of his CBS nemeses, including Pelley. Trump has long slammed CNN for how it covers him and has singled out CNN reporters, such as Kaitlan Collins, to criticize both in person and on social media.
The Paramount Skydance takeover of Warner Bros Discovery still has some legal hurdles to clear, though it’s been approved by Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders.
The merger is being investigated by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the U.K.’s competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority.
