Bari Weiss has been the editor-in-chief of CBS News for over a year now, and her tenure has been quite eventful. For months, media analysts have weighed in on Weiss’ direction of the company and, while she’s received praise in some circles, she’s also received backlash. Of course, running a media corporation is no small feat and, just recently, Weiss was asked about what it’s really been like for her to hold down the big job. With that, the veteran journalist shared some candid thoughts about the inner workings of the brand.
For the most part, it’s rare that Weiss sits down to discuss her role at CBS in depth, and she did just that during a recent discussion held by The Information at the WTF Summit. Weiss discussed a number of topics amid the conversation (which can be seen on YouTube), including concerns about 60 Minutes’ low ratings and the notion of her running CNN someday. Host Jessica Lessin asked Weiss about the practicalities of running a news outlet, leading the E-I-C to make some quick jokes:
I don't work out. I don't sleep. I don't have any friends left. I mean, that would be one answer to that question.
After sharing those quips, though, Weiss got serious quite quickly, saying the experience had been “consuming.” Lessin went on to make note of CBS News’ position within the pantheon of legacy news outlets and how old-school principles may work against Weiss’ vision for the brand. While Weiss mentioned that there had been success within the company, she also spoke to some of the challenges facing it:
I would say on the inside, it's been tremendously successful. The disparity — I mean, I'm sure you all work at places that are covered and scrutinized. You know that the gap between the stories that are being told and the actual experience of it in the case of CBS, it's like a chasm. If I spent all of my time being concerned about trying to tell a different story, I would not be able to run the actual news organization.
One Of Bari Weiss’ New 60 Minutes Stars Has Blunt Advice For CBS News Staffers Amid Backlash
One of the key points of discussion that has surrounded Bari Weiss since David Ellison hired her involves her editorial prowess. Some of her choices have come under fire, including her last-minute decision to cut a 60 Minutes story about the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador almost a year ago. At the time, Weiss concluded that more research needed to be done before the story could go to air. Weiss has still, however, been accused of initiating “journalistic interference,” and journalists like Dan Rather and Scott Pelley have criticized her leadership abilities, particularly due to her lack of broadcast journalism experience prior to CBS.
However, CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil spoke positively about Weiss’ vision and said he hadn’t witnessed any news bias. Newly hired correspondent Sir Trevor Phillips also defended Weiss and her approach to putting together a team of journalists. Regardless of praise or criticism, though, Weiss emphasized during the interview that she had been aiming to tune out noise. She now seems to be looking ahead to the future, and she explained her intention to create change in an ever-evolving media landscape:
This is one of the most storied important news organizations in the world. It was built for a time where there were three news channels that you could choose from on the television. We now live in a world of infinite information, choice and possibility. By necessity, that means it has to change. Every single legacy news organization has to change, because we're in — the attention, whatever you want to call it, we are in a a fierce competition to get people to command people's attention to make sure that [what] we are offering them is something that matters.
Bari Weiss went on to say “the change that's required is painful as it would be in any organization that has to change the way it does business.” It is indeed true that the industry has been experiencing growing pains as of late as the overall media model undergoes alterations. While we can’t say just how CBS News will fit into that framework moving forward, Weiss seems keen on running the brand in a way that’s fluid and viable.
