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Paramount has appointed former New York Times commentator Bari Weiss to oversee CBS News, marking the newest move by new owners to reorganize operations of one of America's leading news organisations.

The company is additionally purchasing The Free Press, the web-based platform Weiss established after her contentious departure from the New York Times, in a deal said to be worth $150 million.

Ms Weiss, who has questioned television news for becoming overly political, said she was eager to influence CBS, which was acquired by David Ellison earlier this year as part of a wider merger with Paramount.

History of the New Leader

Ms Weiss, who started her career at Jewish media organizations, is recognized for her support of Israel and her questioning of "cancel culture".

Beginning as a digital bulletin in 2021, The Free Press has attracted 1.5 million followers, including more than 170,000 paid subscribers.

It has received recognition for coverage such as a piece questioning of NPR by one of its previous business editors, as well as an analysis of some images used by traditional journalism to depict famine in Gaza.

Big name writers include scholar Niall Ferguson and financial expert Tyler Cowen.

Strategic Plans

Mr Ellison said the selection of Ms Weiss as editor-in-chief was part of a bigger initiative to modernize programming at Paramount and make CBS the "most credible name in news".

"We are convinced the majority of the country longs for news that is fair and accurate, and we want CBS to be their home," he said.

Additional Shifts at CBS

Terms of the deal were not made public. Paramount refused to discuss reports that the corporation had paid $150 million in equity and currency.

Mr Ellison built his career as a Hollywood film producer of hit movies such as Top Gun Maverick, True Grit and World War Z.

He has said his goal is to produce coverage that is less partisan, and therefore has the capacity to engage all demographics.

His acquisition of Paramount was cleared by regulators this summer, after the company committed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit.

To win approval of the acquisition, Mr Ellison pledged to install an impartial arbitrator at CBS to assess complaints of prejudice and promised to regulators that programming would include a variety of view points.

He further said CBS's long-running political show "Face the Nation" would cease to air modified discussions.

Alliance Facts

CBS News has a collaborative arrangement with a global news organization, meaning news content including recorded segments can be exchanged.

In a message revealing the arrangement, Ms Weiss said she believed in the Paramount boss and his leadership team.

"They are doubling down because they support news. Because they have conviction. Because they love this country. And because they recognize, as we do, that America cannot thrive without shared information, agreed principles, and a shared perspective," she wrote.