The clock is ticking: The Free Press' Bari Weiss is on her way to CBS News. Here she hosts Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on January 17, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images)
Welcome to the latest edition of Breaker. If this email has been forwarded, you can subscribe here and send your questions and complaints here. If you have a tip, contact the 24/7 Breaker Tip Hotline via text or Signal # 551 655 2343. Anonymity guaranteed!
In tonight’s edition, after months of leaks, Bari Weiss will early next week, be named to the top job at CBS News. But while staffers are starting to come to grips with their new normal, they have another jolt on the horizon – brutal layoffs. Below, we reveal just how bloody the cuts are expected to be.
Also, tonight we name the new editor of The New York Times’ Dealbook, and The Spectator throws a spectacular shindig as they look to expand stateside.
Finally, it is Thursday, which means Journo Jobs is back. Tonight, we have gigs at Vanity Fair, The Cut, CNN, CBS Sports, and The Washington Post (including some great internships).
Mentioned tonight: David Ellison, Larry Ellison, Will Lewis, Emma Tucker, Almar Latour, Mark Thompson, Keith Poole, Mark Guiducci, Katharine Viner, Simone Swink, Libby Leist, Shawna Thomas, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Freddie Sayers, Zach Christenson, Lara Prendergast, Freddie Gray, Orson Fry, Rick MacArthur, Oli Coleman, Cami Fateh, Hugh Doherty, Katy Balls, Harrison Vail, Harry Jarman, Joseph Bullmore, Raheem Kassam, Ann Coulter, Margi Conklin, Charles Lane, Michael Moynihan, Alex Chitty, and more.
The Weiss Wrecking Ball
(Exclusive.) On Monday, Bari Weiss is expected to report for work at 524 West 57th Street – home of the CBS Broadcast Center as she begins her new role as editor-in-chief of CBS News.
After months of feverish speculation, parent company Paramount Skydance is set to announce that they have acquired Weiss’ Substack The Free Press in what will equate to one of the media’s most expensive acqui-hires.
Just to recap – The New York Times first reported on the talks, The Financial Times firmed up the numbers, Puck confirmed the deal, and Status reported the announcement was imminent.
Weiss, a former New York Times conservative columnist (who has absolutely zero broadcast experience), will be entering a hostile environment with seasoned journalists who are highly skeptical of her arrival and her intentions.
But just as concerning for CBS News staffers is the number of layoffs Breaker has learned will be announced and implemented in the coming weeks by CBS News President Tom Cibrowski (Weiss will report to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, not Cibrowski).
Those layoffs are set to number more than…
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