Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief of CBS News, is actively recruiting British journalists to inject what she views as much-needed opinion diversity into US media, countering a perceived 'woke' consensus. This move comes amid bitter internal and external opposition to her leadership at the prestigious network.
British Hires and Contacts
Earlier this month, CBS News hired Trevor Phillips, a prominent British broadcaster and former Labour Party figure, as a senior global affairs correspondent. Josh Boswell, a British investigative reporter from the Daily Mail, was also recently brought on board. Additionally, Douglas Murray, a British conservative writer, now writes a regular weekly column for the Free Press, the anti-woke outlet Weiss founded after leaving the New York Times in 2020.
Weiss has also met with Justin Webb, a presenter on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, though no specific position at CBS was discussed. Her senior executives are understood to have reached out to other prominent UK journalists, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Reasons Behind the Strategy
Andrew Neil, former editor of the Sunday Times, supported the hiring of Phillips, stating: 'She’s been looking at various Brits that might add a bit of opinion/attitude diversity to US media, instead of the dominant, predictable Columbia Journalism School uniformity. Not a bad idea.' A CBS News source added: 'They do the kind of things that Bari is looking for; it’s not puff pieces and kid gloves.'
Weiss has developed a network of like-minded UK thinkers who she believes reject an overly woke, liberal consensus on issues such as Israel and transgender rights. Last summer, she hosted a party at the Groucho Club in London, mingling with figures described as 'part of the heterodox world.'
Key British Allies
Oliver Wiseman, formerly of the Spectator, serves as deputy editor at the Free Press. Weiss is also close to Douglas Murray and Neil Blair, JK Rowling's agent. The Free Press published the influential podcast 'The Witch Trials of JK Rowling' in 2023. Michael Gove, former Conservative cabinet minister and current editor of the Spectator, and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch are among her acquaintances, as is libertarian podcaster Konstantin Kisin.
Cost and Editorial Direction
One ally noted that British journalists are generally cheaper than their US counterparts. Announcing Phillips' appointment, Weiss said his career had been 'a masterclass in seeing beyond groupthink.' However, Phillips was previously suspended from the Labour Party over alleged Islamophobia, once commenting that UK Muslims were 'a nation within a nation.' Webb, bound by BBC impartiality rules, had a complaint partially upheld in 2024 for using the phrase 'trans women, in other words males.'
A CBS News staffer, speaking anonymously, said: 'If her goal is to push CBS News to the right, including in global coverage, then these steps make sense, because in no other universe would they.'
