# Bari Weiss

> Bari Weiss is the founder of The Free Press and, since October 2025, editor-in-chief of CBS News following Paramount's $150 million acquisition of her media company. A former Wall Street Journal and New York Times editor whose viral 2020 resignation letter made her a symbol of anti-groupthink journalism, Weiss built one of the fastest-growing independent news outlets in America - reaching 1.5 million subscribers in under five years - before landing the biggest job in legacy broadcast news.

- **Role:** Editor-in-Chief at CBS News / Founder at The Free Press
- **Organizations:** CBS News, The Free Press, The New York Times (former), The Wall Street Journal (former), Tablet Magazine (former)
- **From:** Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA in History, Columbia University, Nativ College Leadership Program / Dorot Fellowship, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, High School, Shady Side Academy
- **Known for:** Founded The Free Press, growing it from zero to 1.5 million subscribers in under 5 years, Named editor-in-chief of CBS News after Paramount's $150 million acquisition of The Free Press (2025), Viral 2020 NYT resignation letter became a landmark document in debates about newsroom culture

## Career timeline

- **2005** — Co-founds The Current magazine at Columbia University
- **2007** — Graduates Columbia; Wall Street Journal Bartley Fellow; contributes to Haaretz and The Forward
- **2007-2008** — Dorot Fellow in Jerusalem
- **2011** — Joins Tablet magazine as senior news and politics editor
- **2013** — Joins The Wall Street Journal as op-ed and book review editor
- **2017** — Joins The New York Times as op-ed staff editor and culture/politics writer
- **2019** — Vanity Fair names her the Times's 'star opinion writer'; publishes How to Fight Anti-Semitism
- **2020** — Resigns from NYT with viral public letter; launches newsletter Common Sense and podcast Honestly
- **2021** — Common Sense becomes The Free Press; wins Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism
- **2022** — Participates in Twitter Files investigation alongside Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger; wins inaugural Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism
- **2025** — Paramount Skydance acquires The Free Press for $150 million; Weiss named editor-in-chief of CBS News (October 2025)
- **2026** — The Free Press projects ~$20 million in annual revenue; reshaping CBS News editorial direction

## Achievements

- Founded The Free Press, growing it from zero to 1.5 million subscribers in under 5 years
- Named editor-in-chief of CBS News after Paramount's $150 million acquisition of The Free Press (2025)
- Viral 2020 NYT resignation letter became a landmark document in debates about newsroom culture
- National Jewish Book Award for How to Fight Anti-Semitism (2019)
- LA Press Club Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism (2021)
- Reason Foundation Bastiat Prize for outstanding writing on freedom (2018)
- Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism - Twitter Files coverage (2022)
- Named 7th most influential Jew globally by The Jerusalem Post (2019)
- Hosted Honestly podcast reaching top podcast charts consistently
- Raised $15 million for The Free Press at ~$100 million valuation before Paramount acquisition

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — The Free Press tracking toward ~$20M annual revenue under CBS/Paramount umbrella
- **2026-01** — Tony Dokoupil takes over as CBS Evening News anchor under Weiss's direction
- **2025-12** — Controversy over spiking 60 Minutes segment on El Salvador's CECOT prison
- **2025-10** — Named editor-in-chief of CBS News as Paramount acquires The Free Press for $150 million

## Links

- Website: https://www.bariweiss.com/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/bariweiss
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bariweiss/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBariWeiss/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/bari-weiss
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-23