CBS News staffers ‘apoplectic’ over Bari Weiss

CBS News staffers are “apoplectic” over reports that Bari Weiss — an avowedly pro-Israel journalist — is on the verge of taking a top job at the Tiffany Network, according to a report.

Weiss, the former New York Times opinion editor who quit in 2020 after blasting the paper’s “illiberal environment,” is reportedly in line for a senior editorial role at CBS as part of Paramount’s pending acquisition of her startup, The Free Press, in a deal valued at up to $200 million.

Paramount boss David Ellison, who seized control of the network in an $8 billion mega-merger with Skydance, has declined to comment on the talks. But the Puck News website reported late Wednesday that the deal is in advanced stages and likely to close soon.

“Not happy AT ALL,” one person familiar with the mood inside CBS told Status News, adding that many journalists are bracing for impact.

Another insider warned Weiss’ arrival would set off a firestorm, particularly over coverage of Israel and Gaza, saying some employees would be “apoplectic” at the prospect of taking editorial direction from her.

One prominent journalist outside CBS went even further, telling Status they would resign rather than work under Weiss, summing up the situation with a biting line: “Good night, and bad luck.”

“Good night, and bad luck” is a deliberate play on words that riffs on the legendary 1950s CBS News anchor Edward R. Murrow sign-off, “Good night, and good luck,” which became the title of a 2005 George Clooney film about Murrow.

The anti-Weiss backlash shows how rattled CBS staff already are after years of cutbacks and dwindling ratings.

Ellison has tried to calm nerves over anticipated changes at the Tiffany Network. On his victory lap after clinching the Paramount-Skydance deal last month, he said he did not want to “politicize the company.”

Yet his first big splash at CBS News is poised to be Weiss — a sharp-tongued critic of progressive orthodoxy who built The Free Press into a subscriber-driven platform mixing opinion, essays and interviews.

Puck media reporter Dylan Byers pegged Paramount’s offer for Weiss’ outlet at “well above” $100 million while other estimates have climbed as high as $200 million — more than 10 times its reported $10 million to $15 million in annual subscription revenue.

The Free Press launched in 2022 and quickly drew attention for high-profile contributors and Weiss’ confrontational voice on hot-button issues. She has hosted interviews with senators and celebrities alike, and her podcast “Honestly” has booked Republican lawmakers including Sen. Ted Cruz.

Ellison, 41, inherited CBS News as the centerpiece of Paramount Global after regulators signed off on his merger. The FCC conditioned its approval on major concessions, including eliminating DEI mandates and installing an ombudsman to monitor bias.

Those changes were already viewed inside CBS as a warning shot.

One insider likened the ombudsman’s office to a “hall monitor,” while some former anchors publicly fretted about the network’s tradition of independent reporting.

Now Weiss’ potential arrival has compounded those fears — and revived questions about the fate of current network president Tom Cibrowski, who has not commented.

Weiss has kept quiet publicly, and Paramount has refused to confirm the deal. But with talks described by Puck as “on the one-yard line,” staffers are preparing for a new chapter.

The Post has sought comment from Paramount and Weiss. CBS News declined to comment.