While Bari Weiss is currently CBS News’ editor-in-chief, the past few months have seen her engulfed in chatter pertaining to another high-profile gig. It was rumored that Weiss might be in the running to take over CNN following the completion of the Paramount Skydance/Warner Bros. Discovery merger. It was later confirmed that Weiss wouldn’t be involved with the company post-merger, putting to rest the speculation. However, Weiss was still just asked if she’d like to oversee CNN at some point, and she shared an answer.
The Paramount/WBD merger has birthed Skydance, which means CNN (formerly owned by Warner Bros.) now falls under the newly formed company’s purview. Up until this point, Weiss had remained mum about the prospect of possibly running the Ted Turner-founded network. The topic came up, though, during a conference held by news outlet Information (via The Guardian). When asked about the notion of running the political news channel, Weiss said this about her current mindset:
I want to focus on doing CBS News, trust me. This is a big enough challenge.
Weiss’ comments appear to align with reports that have been shared in recent weeks, as it was alleged that Skydance CEO David Ellison felt her role at CBS kept her busy enough. It was confirmed in early October that current CNN head honcho Mark Thompson would maintain his position, and he reportedly felt confident that Ellison would allow the brand to operate in the way it's accustomed to. Ellison’s decision to invite Thompson to stay came on the heels of alleged nervousness about Weiss taking control.
Shortly before the merger closed, insiders claimed CNN staffers were nervous about the prospect of Bari Weiss becoming their boss. That purported anxiousness reportedly stemmed from employees seeing Weiss’ work at CBS News. Since the Free Press founder was put in charge of that Eye Network brand in October 2025, her editorial decisions have been criticized, and she’s been accused of encouraging partiality in news coverage. Those claims have been denied by Weiss, who’s been tuning out the backlash.
Early on, several notable individuals expressed opposition to the notion of Weiss being named CNN’s CEO. Former network host W. Kamau Bell was indignant about the idea, arguing that Weiss had caused “damage” at CBS. Another ex-CNN correspondent, Jim Acosta expressed concern that Weiss might “murder” the network. Even with Weiss not in charge and Thompson remaining in the fold, there are apparently still some concerns about the network’s future, though.
Veteran journalist Scott Pelley – who was fired from CBS earlier this year after accusing Weiss of “murdering” 60 Minutes – also sent a warning to CNN employees. During a recent interview, Pelley advised journalists at the company to “stick to your ethics and hold the line” and to also “oppose everything that shocks the conscience of a credible reliable journalist.” Despite his misgivings, Pelley opined that Thompson remaining in charge marked a “good sign” and that he could be a “firewall” for editorial interference.
Although Bari Weiss won’t be running CNN, she does seem somewhat confident after this latest case of corporate consolidation. Weiss addressed the merger in an internal memo, admitting that “there is a lot that we still don’t know” but noted that it was an “exciting” day for the company. As for “guidance” to employees, she advised “that we should focus always on the work that we do.” That seems to run parallel with her take on remaining focused on CBS News as opposed to CNN.
