Paramount buys The Free Press for $150 million: Bari Weiss to lead CBS News.

According to Vox: The anti-woke trend is impressive at CBS News, with Bari Weiss being a key figure in this process.

According to reports, Paramount (the parent company of CBS) plans to acquire the online publication Free Press (Weiss’s publication) for approximately $150 million, which could significantly change the balance of power in the media.

This move represents a significant victory for Weiss, who is a candid commentator of center-right orientation. She left her position as editor of the opinion section of the New York Times five years ago, and her criticism of the 'woke' has become a central theme of her work.

A key point of the deal is that Weiss may take a high editorial position at CBS News, likely as editor-in-chief.

At the time of writing, it is still unclear how Weiss and Paramount CEO David Ellison plan to transform CBS News. However, recently, Paramount has been actively targeting the interests of the right.

In the five years since she left mainstream media, Weiss has continued to gain influence and wealth, raising concerns among her critics.

Since its founding less than three years ago, Free Press has become one of the most profitable publications on the Substack platform, earning over $10 million a year from approximately 170,000 paid subscribers.

Free Press has succeeded among numerous anti-woke newsletters due to several factors. Weiss decided to create a full-fledged publication with many authors and contributions, as well as proving herself as a skilled networker and financier, attracting initial investments from venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and David Sacks, and then millions more.

Influential economic blogger Tyler Cowen, explaining why he became a columnist for Free Press this year, noted its 'startup' mentality and Weiss's 'charisma,' adding that the publication has the audience to which he wants to appeal.

The audience of Free Press consists of disillusioned former liberals or centrists who have severed ties with the Democrats and the left but have not yet fully embraced MAGA or traditional conservatism. Its ideological tilt reflects their concerns.

One way to understand Weiss's influence is that she is becoming an organizer of a new faction of the right, forming around the latest issues and controversies that change traditional political loyalties. If the deal goes through, one of the leaders of this faction will have a chance to change CBS News.

Can Bari Weiss really change CBS News?

Weiss has criticized mainstream media for their mistakes for years and created her own alternative. But if the deal with Paramount goes through, she will face new challenges — trying to leave her mark on the operations of a large, established television news network such as 60 Minutes.

The question is whether she and Paramount CEO David Ellison hope that CBS News will become more responsive to criticism from conservatives, or whether they aim to fully transform it into a center of the right.

If the deal is confirmed, it could mean we are witnessing a new 'winning Twitter scenario under Musk' — effectively a destructive instrument for dismantling an old institution to create something new.

There remains the question of what Ellison wants and why he is willing to spend so much money on Free Press and Weiss. While his political views are steadfastly concealed, his father has long supported Trump, and both are dedicated supporters of Israel.

In the event of a successful deal, changes at CBS News could significantly impact the media landscape in the U.S. Bari Weiss will become an important player in shaping new perspectives in news, bringing her unique views and strategies into traditional media. This could drive new discussions and analysis around important societal issues.