Story perspectives

Paramount Mulls New Oversight as Weiss Stays, Cooper Departs

5/20/2026

Summary

Story summary

Paramount execs consider shifting day-to-day oversight from Bari Weiss to a senior manager.
Bari Weiss stays editorial leader of CBS News and 60 Minutes, with Paramount and David Ellison confirming her mandate.
CBS Evening News has averaged under four million viewers per night for five weeks, near its second-lowest audience this century.
Anderson Cooper and Lesley Stahl criticized Weiss’s interview choices, prompting Cooper’s departure after two decades.

History

Historical Context

In 2025 CBS News moved to Paramount after the Skydance merger, leading to Kenneth R. Weinstein’s appointment as ombudsman and the resignations of president Wendy McMahon and 60 Minutes producer Bill Owens. In 2026 editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, supported by David Ellison, rolled out “5 simple values” and warned that at least 15% of staff could be cut, continuing a pattern of restructurings to stem viewership loss.

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Story summary

Paramount execs consider shifting day-to-day oversight from Bari Weiss to a senior manager.
Bari Weiss stays editorial leader of CBS News and 60 Minutes, with Paramount and David Ellison confirming her mandate.
CBS Evening News has averaged under four million viewers per night for five weeks, near its second-lowest audience this century.
Anderson Cooper and Lesley Stahl criticized Weiss’s interview choices, prompting Cooper’s departure after two decades.

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