The newly appointed editor-in-chief of CBS News, Bari Weiss, has found herself at the centre of a fresh controversy this week following remarks she made about the network's future direction.
Weiss, who took over the top editorial role at the so-called Tiffany Network in October, argued that CBS would benefit from featuring more 'charismatic' voices, specifically naming disgraced lawyer Alan Dershowitz as an example.
Vision for a 'Radically Centrist' CBS
Weiss unveiled her controversial vision during a panel discussion at the Jewish Leadership Conference earlier this month. She pointed to a recent debate hosted by her own publication, The Free Press, between 87-year-old Alan Dershowitz and former NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch as emblematic of her plans.
'These are people that have wildly different opinions on the Second Amendment, and yet showing that they could have good faith, very passionate, very charismatic disagreement and still like each other at the end of the day, we think it's important,' Weiss told the audience.
She described both Dershowitz and Loesch as 'centre left and centre right,' claiming they represent the views held by most Americans. In contrast, she argued that podcasters like Hasan Piker, Tucker Carlson, and Nick Fuentes 'don't represent our values and the world views of the vast majority of Americans.'
Weiss stated her goal is to 'speak for the 75 percent' of Americans who occupy the political centre. She expressed a desire to 'get back to that normalcy,' while acknowledging that traditional 'centrist news' has failed because 'it's like trying to force feed spinach down someone's throat.'
Online Fury and Mocking Criticism
When a clip of her comments circulated online on Monday, the reaction was swift and largely critical. Many commentators slammed Weiss for being out of touch with the American public.
Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, posted on X: 'I'm not sure an alleged pedophile and a confirmed gun nut is where Americans are.'
Others responded with sarcasm. A columnist for MSNOW joked, 'The kids demand Alan Dershowitz,' while Southern Poverty Law Center researcher Hannah Gais piled on with a mocking post about teens demanding more clips of the former lawyer.
New York Times tech reporter Mike Isaac noted the irony, writing that it was 'so funny to take a populist "we need to elevate the voice of the common man" position and then immediately follow it with' Dershowitz.
Critics were also quick to highlight Dershowitz's association with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Former Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor wrote: 'So Bari Weiss's plan to restore trust in media is to elevate Jeffrey Epstein friend and apologist Alan Dershowitz.'
Controversial podcaster Glenn Greenwald offered a different critique, suggesting that the voices Weiss deems acceptable 'always [have] one thing in common: love of Israel.'
The Challenge of a Network Overhaul
Weiss's controversial comments come as she undertakes a significant overhaul of CBS News. Paramount chief David Ellison has granted her broad authority to rein in perceived liberal biases in a bid to boost ratings and win back viewer trust.
Her strategy involves rebranding CBS as 'radically centrist.' This has already involved planning a makeover for the struggling CBS Evening News, which saw anchor John Dickerson quit abruptly in October. Sources indicate co-anchor Maurice DuBois is also set to be axed.
Weiss is now tasked with finding a new face for the flagship programme and has reportedly considered two polar opposite choices: CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Fox News’ Bret Baier. An attempt to poach Cooper was unsuccessful, and landing either high-profile anchor presents a significant challenge, not least due to their substantial salaries—Baier earns $14 million annually, while Cooper makes $18 million.
Despite the backlash, some commentators have expressed support for Weiss's vision. Mediaite's Colby Hall argued on X that her alternative to centrist news 'isn't moderation. It's transparency.' Hall urged putting people with genuinely different world views in the same studio to argue in good faith, calling it 'actual pluralism, not neutrality theater.'
As the debate over her leadership style and editorial choices continues, all eyes will be on how Bari Weiss implements her 'radically centrist' vision for one of America's most storied news networks.
