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"Newsroom culture clash" at CBS News

Mark Roberts

Mark Roberts

To be honest, I think the headline in this Washington Post story, "Bari Weiss’s first month at CBS News unfolds in a newsroom culture clash", oversells the story. It seems mostly a collection of ancedotes, giving an overall impression of uncertainty and anxiety. Still, it may be too soon for a clear picture to emerge.

A couple of quotes:

One month into {Bari Weiss'} tenure, staffers at the revered TV newsroom known for its pull-no-punches reporting are weathering a flurry of layoffs, shifting resources and a cultural collision with Weiss’s ideas of how to tackle the news. Some newsroom employees say Weiss’s sensibility has begun to shape editorial operations at the network.
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(The article also noted that writers from Weiss' The Free Press have begun appearing on CBS News streaming shows.)

While a CBS News spokesperson said the Free Press and CBS News are and would remain separate entities, some staffers have expressed concern about the distinction, wondering if employees for the two newsrooms are held to the same social media guidelines and journalistic standards. “I think we’re all unclear about what the line is between the two companies,” one current staffer said. “Nobody has said anything about it, really. It’s wild!”
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Gift link from the Washington Post which, unfortunately, may require registration: https://wapo.st/3Lqb1ep
 
If Bari Weiss is serious about running CBS News in the long term wouldn’t she have to sell “The Free Press” not sure who would get it or if Paramount wants to make Free Press a division of the company.

But then again it’s one issue within Paramount that’s buried inside the Ellisons role as CEO of the company and the current layoffs hitting the entire company.
 
Mark Roberts said:
To be honest, I think the headline in this Washington Post story, "Bari Weiss’s first month at CBS News unfolds in a newsroom culture clash", oversells the story. It seems mostly a collection of ancedotes, giving an overall impression of uncertainty and anxiety. Still, it may be too soon for a clear picture to emerge.
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All of that is to be expected. It would have happened even without Bari Weiss, after the company was sold to SkyDance, and the stability of the Redstones went away. The exact same thing happened in the 80s when Bill Paley left the company, and various new personalities, including Larry Tisch, took his place. Then there was the Mel Karmazin era in the 90s. He was the kind of leader who liked to disrupt things. The same could be said of Ellison & Weiss.

I'm one of those who believes that a certain amount of "disruption" is a good thing every now and then. It's bad for creative people to fall into a routine and become comfortable with their situation. The disruption can become inspirational and motivate new creativity. Or it can lead to fear and distrust. Either way, the result won't be the "same old thing." Some of it may be cultural, and some of it may be generational. There will likely be more people who choose to leave rather than adjust to the new regime. That happens everywhere.

My view is that this may be more of a problem for the New York office than other parts of the company. But yes, there will be disruption. How people respond to it will determine the future of the company. As I often say, the future won't be like the past.
 
TheBigA said:
All of that is to be expected. It would have happened even without Bari Weiss, after the company was sold to SkyDance, and the stability of the Redstones went away. The exact same thing happened in the 80s when Bill Paley left the company, and various new personalities, including Larry Tisch, took his place. Then there was the Mel Karmazin era in the 90s. He was the kind of leader who liked to disrupt things. The same could be said of Ellison & Weiss.
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Paley did not leave the company so much as he left this mortal coil, i.e., he died. Tisch didn't take his place so much as his Loews Companies holding company acquired a controlling interest in CBS.
TheBigA said:
I'm one of those who believes that a certain amount of "disruption" is a good thing every now and then. It's bad for creative people to fall into a routine and become comfortable with their situation. The disruption can become inspirational and motivate new creativity. Or it can lead to fear and distrust. Either way, the result won't be the "same old thing." Some of it may be cultural, and some of it may be generational. There will likely be more people who choose to leave rather than adjust to the new regime. That happens everywhere.
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The word I'd use is not "adjust" as much as "acquiesce" to the new regime. Sumner was a disruptor. Ellison, both father and son, are more like destroyers.
TheBigA said:
My view is that this may be more of a problem for the New York office than other parts of the company. But yes, there will be disruption. How people respond to it will determine the future of the company. As I often say, the future won't be like the past.
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The future never is like the past. Sometimes they rhyme, but more often it mutates.
 
Weiserguy said:
Paley did not leave the company so much as he left this mortal coil, i.e., he died. Tisch didn't take his place so much as his Loews Companies holding company acquired a controlling interest in CBS.
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It's a bit more complicated. He left the role of Chairman in 1983, and turned it over to Tom Wyman. Paley became a consultant. Then the company came under fire with several takeover attempts, including one by Ted Turner. Then Paley turned to Tisch to retake control of the company. That was in 1986. Paley died in 1990. In a way, you're right that he never really left the company. But at least for those three years, he didn't have an official title. The bad news was that Tisch hurt the company's legacy. He sold off Columbia Records, which many felt was a mistake. He wasn't kind to CBS News either.
 
Weiserguy said:
The future never is like the past. Sometimes they rhyme, but more often it mutates.
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It’s a fair point that CBS News has been through periods of agitation before. But, by and large, the turmoil came about due to business and financial reasons, and not because of a desire to realign the organization politically.

It’s also a fair point that, if CBS’s business were stronger and, particularly, if many of its products performed better from a business perspective, then it would be better able to withstand political pressures than it is now.
 
Mark Roberts said:
It’s a fair point that CBS News has been through periods of agitation before. But, by and large, the turmoil came about due to business and financial reasons, and not because of a desire to realign the organization politically.
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Did you see "Goodnight & Good Luck?" That was a play based on the story of Ed Murrow's broadcast on Joe McCarthy. The story deals with the back & forth between Murrow & Bill Paley. Yes, the broadcast aired. But as a result, Murrow's show was cut back, his staff was cut, and ultimately he left CBS News. The reason CNN aired that play is because of similarities to what's happening now.


Paley also got involved in the CBS News coverage of Vietnam, under pressure from President Johnson. CBS News has been a target for many years. It's also a symbol.
 
TheBigA said:
Did you see "Goodnight & Good Luck?" That was a play based on the story of Ed Murrow's broadcast on Joe McCarthy. The story deals with the back & forth between Murrow & Bill Paley. Yes, the broadcast aired. But as a result, Murrow's show was cut back, his staff was cut, and ultimately he left CBS News. The reason CNN aired that play is because of similarities to what's happening now.

Paley also got involved in the CBS News coverage of Vietnam, under pressure from President Johnson. CBS News has been a target for many years. It's also a symbol.
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That’s I mentioned “political alignment”. LBJ was liberal; Murrow was liberal; Paley was liberal if it didn’t cost him money or popularity. They disagreed on specific items, but their world views were very similar. Trump and the mainstream reporters who cover him can’t even agree on basic facts, much less a world view, so much so that an entirely different narrative has emerged, supported by its own dedicated set of people who say they’re practicing journalism in the service of supporting Trump(ism).
 
Mark Roberts said:
That’s I mentioned “political alignment”. LBJ was liberal; Murrow was liberal; Paley was liberal if it didn’t cost him money or popularity.
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The issue with Paley in both cases was the threat of revoking FCC licenses. That was also the case with Ellison.

Any time a TV network takes a stand on a controversial issue, they're risking money and popularity.

Mark Roberts said:
Trump and the mainstream reporters who cover him can’t even agree on basic facts,
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Correct, and he's willing to use the power of the government to get his way. If that means having the FCC revoke licenses, that's what he does. He takes the action first, and then responds to the court challenge. He keeps pounding away in court (all at taxpayer expense) until he gets his way.
 
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TheBigA said:
Interesting decision to do it in front of a live audience in NYC. Not a lot of Kirk fans in midtown Manhattan. They may have to bus in the audience from central Pennsylvania or upstate.
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Maybe they are leasing the Fox News audience for the night.
 
TheBigA said:
Here is the first appearance of Bari Weiss on CBS-TV:
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I made this comment elsewhere: "One wonders if the next step is "The CBS Evening News with Bari Weiss", comprising rants about other media."

I should have written "composed of", but you get the idea.
 
Mark Roberts said:
I made this comment elsewhere: "One wonders if the next step is "The CBS Evening News with Bari Weiss", comprising rants about other media."

I should have written "composed of", but you get the idea.
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How does this affect Steve Hartman and his weekly positive stories near the end of the 6:30 newscast?
 


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