Reports that CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss could soon gain editorial oversight of CNN have triggered a familiar reaction from large segments of the media industry.
Almost immediately, critics began portraying Weiss as a conservative operative, a Trump ally, or evidence that CNN could be headed toward a right-wing transformation if Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery receives regulatory approval.
The narrative has spread quickly. The problem is that it ignores who Weiss actually is.
While Weiss has become one of the most prominent critics of progressive activism and ideological conformity in media institutions, she has never been a supporter of President Trump. In fact, her political record suggests something very different: a journalist who has spent years criticizing both the Left and the Right while attempting to occupy a space that has become increasingly rare in modern media — the political center.
Bari Weiss Has Never Been a Trump Ally
One of the more predictable reactions to reports that Weiss could gain editorial oversight of CNN has been the attempt to portray her as a conservative operative or even a Trump ally.
The problem is that her record simply doesn’t support that characterization.
While Weiss has become one of the most prominent critics of progressive activism and ideological conformity in media institutions, she has never aligned herself with President Trump or the MAGA movement. She has repeatedly described herself as politically homeless, a centrist, and a liberal who became increasingly frustrated with the direction of modern progressive politics.
According to multiple published profiles, Weiss voted for Mitt Romney in 2012, Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Joe Biden in 2020. Those are not the voting habits of someone operating as a Trump ally.
Following the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting, Weiss sharply criticized Jewish supporters of President Trump on Real Time With Bill Maher, arguing that they were overlooking behavior and rhetoric she believed was harmful in exchange for policy victories they supported.
She has also argued that while she did not consider Trump personally antisemitic, his political rise coincided with the growing visibility of white nationalist and antisemitic movements in American politics.
None of this sounds like a political ally. What it sounds like is someone who has spent years criticizing both the political Left and the political Right.
The reason many journalists now label Weiss “conservative” has less to do with her actual politics and more to do with the subjects she chooses to cover. Weiss has been willing to challenge progressive orthodoxy on issues such as identity politics, free speech, censorship, and media bias at a time when many legacy news organizations have been reluctant to do so.
In today’s media environment, criticizing the Left is often enough to earn a conservative label regardless of a person’s actual beliefs.
The Free Press Built Its Audience By Rejecting Partisan Journalism
The success of The Free Press helps explain why Paramount executives appear to have so much confidence in Weiss.
After leaving The New York Times in 2020, Weiss launched The Free Press with a mission that stood in stark contrast to much of the modern media landscape. Rather than catering exclusively to one political tribe, the publication sought to publish voices from across the political spectrum while encouraging open debate on controversial topics.
The outlet quickly found an audience.
Bari Weiss laughs in an interview with Jerry Seinfeld – YouTube, The Free Press
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Part of that success stemmed from a growing frustration among readers who felt that major media organizations had become increasingly ideological. Whether discussing culture, politics, education, crime, or free speech, many Americans felt that news organizations were no longer interested in presenting competing viewpoints.
Weiss built a business around the idea that there was still a market for journalism that challenged assumptions rather than reinforcing them.
Critics often point to The Free Press‘ willingness to cover stories involving censorship, gender ideology, campus activism, or media bias as proof that it has a conservative slant. Yet the publication has also published writers and viewpoints that would hardly be considered conservative.
The goal has never been to create a right-wing publication. The goal has been to create a publication that is willing to host disagreements.
Why Paramount May See Weiss as the Future
According to reports from Axios and the New York Post, Paramount executives have discussed a leadership structure that would pair Weiss with a veteran television executive who could oversee business operations while Weiss focuses on editorial leadership.
Several prominent media executives have reportedly been considered for such a role, including CNN chief executive Mark Thompson, NBCUniversal News Group chairman Cesar Conde, former NBC News chief Noah Oppenheim, Daily Beast CEO Ben Sherwood, and former CBS News president David Rhodes.
Bari Weiss addresses The Free Press audience – YouTube, The Free Press
If the reports are accurate, the proposal would significantly expand Weiss’s influence inside the newly combined media company.
It would also signal that David Ellison and Paramount Skydance believe the future of news lies somewhere outside the traditional partisan framework that has dominated cable news for years.
CNN, in particular, has struggled to define itself in recent years. Ratings challenges, declining trust in media institutions, and intense political polarization have left the network searching for a sustainable identity.
A CNN Report on President Trump – YouTube, CNN
That makes Weiss an intriguing choice.
Not because she is conservative, but because she represents an alternative to the increasingly partisan approach that has defined much of modern television news.
The Real Story Is What This Says About Modern Media
Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the reaction to Weiss is how quickly many commentators have equated centrism with conservatism.
That reaction says less about Weiss than it does about the current state of journalism.
In many newsrooms today, the ideological spectrum has narrowed considerably. As a result, viewpoints that would have been considered mainstream liberal positions a decade ago are now sometimes portrayed as conservative simply because they challenge progressive orthodoxy.
That has become Weiss’s experience.
Source Photo Credit: CNN; YouTube, Bloomberg Podcasts
Her support for free speech, skepticism toward ideological activism, criticism of censorship, and willingness to challenge prevailing narratives have led many critics to place her on the political Right despite a record that clearly shows otherwise.
The irony is that Weiss’s rise may ultimately reflect a broader shift occurring among audiences themselves.
Many Americans are exhausted by partisan media. They are tired of news organizations that appear more interested in activism than journalism, and they want reporting that informs rather than lectures.
Paramount Pictures Logo – YouTube, ClosingLogosHD
Whether Weiss can successfully bring that vision to CBS News—or potentially CNN—remains to be seen.
But if the reports are accurate, the story isn’t that a Trump ally is taking over one of America’s largest news organizations.
The story is that one of the country’s most powerful media companies appears to be betting that audiences are ready for something closer to the political center.
Do you think Bari Weiss will run CNN? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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