CBS News gets new editor-in-chief under Paramount's acquisition of The Free Press
Bari Weiss founded The Free Press in 2021. The independent digital media company is known for its investigative journalism.
Greta CrossCBS News has hired a new editor-in-chief as Paramount acquires one of the country's largest independent media companies.
Paramount announced on Monday, Oct. 6 that it will acquire The Free Press, an independent digital media company established in 2021. As part of the acquisition, The Free Press co-founder and CEO Bari Weiss will become CBS News' editor-in-chief.
The Free Press will maintain its own brand and operations, continuing its reporting, video and audio podcasts, according to a Paramount news release.
The Free Press acquisition comes after Paramount Global and Skydance Media merged in August, creating the standalone entertainment company known simply as Paramount.
Will The Free Press remain independent?
In an Oct. 6 column for The Free Press, Weiss said the publication will remain independent, "growing even faster within Paramount."
"If you have been here from the start, you might have questions. Wasn’t The Free Press started precisely because the old media institutions had failed?" Weiss wrote. "As proud as we are of the 1.5 million subscribers who have joined under the banner of The Free Press – and we are astonished at that number – this is a country with 340 million people. We want our work to reach more of them, as quickly as possible."
Weiss continued that the Paramount acquisition is a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" she is excited for, promising subscribers that the "journalism based in curiosity and honesty," wouldn't be going anywhere.
The Free Press temporarily drops paywall
As part of the transition, The Free Press is offering Free Press "Free Week," lifting its paywall for all readers between Oct. 6-12, the news release states.
What is The Free Press?
Founded by Weiss in 2021, The Free Press is a digital independent media company known for its investigative journalism and "provocative commentary about the world as it actually is." Originally, the company was called Common Sense.
This story has been updated to add new information.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].