Throughout Bari Weiss’ tenure as CBS News’ editor-in-chief, she’s received both criticism and praise for some of the decisions she’s made at the company. Insiders have also dropped claims regarding some of her workplace habits and how employees allegedly feel about them. As of late, Weiss has also been dealing with brand-based challenges, with TV ratings being among them. Now, one source is dropping claims about what Weiss has been like to work with as of late, while another insider is sharing a completely different take.
One CBS News Source Makes Unflattering Comments About Bari Weiss
During the past year, several individuals have made blunt claims about working with Weiss. This past summer, for instance, saw former CBS News Senior Vice President Betsy West echo claims made about the way Weiss was running morning meetings, which had allegedly become tense. An insider recently spoke to Page Six, alleging that employees have still found it hard to work with Weiss. If this person is to be believed, a major issue is a purported inability to pitch ideas to the Free Press founder:
She doesn’t hear anybody. If you don’t agree with what she’s saying or doing, it doesn’t matter. She pretends to hear ideas, but she really doesn’t listen to anyone.
Weiss was appointed to her post by David Ellison, CEO of the since-dissolved Paramount Skydance in October 2025, and some criticized her hiring due to her lack of experience with broadcast journalism. Since taking on the job, Weiss has made changes to programming, which has been met with mixed results. Under her watch, her revamped 60 Minutes has seen varied ratings, while programs like CBS Mornings and CBS Evening News have seen losses. The source also made this claim about collaborating with Weiss at this time:
No one can say, ‘That’s a bad idea.’ She looks at you like, ‘You don’t agree with what I’m saying,’ but there isn’t anybody who gets through to her.
These allegations came months after it was claimed that Weiss had changed in the aftermath of the 60 Minutes staffing changes she initiated. While this particular source claims Weiss isn’t being responsive to employees’ concerns, another individual who supposedly has knowledge of the situation is countering those sentiments.
Another Insider Shares A Positive Take On Working With Bari Weiss
While speaking with Page Six, the second insider pushed back on the notion of Weiss being unresponsive to staffers’ ideas and concerns. The person specifically dropped a claim regarding how the E-I-C operates during meetings:
There’s constant input from the entire news organization, and she frequently commends the points raised by people” during the 9 a.m. editorial meetings.
Despite the backlash Weiss has faced, there are those who’ve defended her. CBS Evening News’ Tony Dokoupil defended Weiss’ vision for the company and denied that he’d experienced any bias in the company’s reporting. One of 60 Minutes’ newest contributors, Sir Trevor Phillips, also defended Weiss’ leadership. Ahead of that, it was also reported that David Ellison was supportive of Weiss and had no intention of firing her. The aforementioned Page Six source also added:
I think most senior leaders across the organization think that she brings a ton of value with her ideas and perspective, and would also say that she is a great listener, who incorporates many other ideas and suggestions into the organization’s work.
As of this writing, none of the following statements from either of the CBS sources have been verified, so all of them should be taken with a grain of salt. What can be said for sure, however, is that there’s still interest in Bari Weiss’ work with the Eye Network. Time will tell how she continues to navigate the job and whether additional comments will be made in relation to working with her.
