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The media conglomerate has named former New York Times commentator Bari Weiss to oversee CBS News, signaling the latest step by new owners to reshape operations of a prominent American news outlets.

Paramount is additionally purchasing The Free Press, the digital outlet Weiss founded after her acrimonious departure from the New York Times, in a deal said to be worth $150 million.

Ms Weiss, who has questioned network journalism for becoming overly political, said she was excited to influence CBS, which was purchased by David Ellison in recent months as part of a larger merger with Paramount.

Profile of the Appointee

Ms Weiss, who began her professional journey at Jewish news outlets, is noted for her backing of Israel and her criticism of "woke culture".

Since its start as a digital bulletin in 2021, The Free Press has gained 1.5 million readers, including over 170,000 subscribing supporters.

It has received recognition for articles such as a feature skeptical of NPR by one of its former business editors, as well as an analysis of some photographs used by established media to showcase famine in Gaza.

Big name authors include historian Niall Ferguson and economist Tyler Cowen.

Vision for CBS

Mr Ellison said the selection of Ms Weiss as editor-in-chief was part of a larger initiative to update programming at Paramount and make CBS the "most credible name in news".

"We believe the greater part of the country wants news that is even-handed and fact-based, and we want CBS to be their source," he said.

Further Developments at CBS

Terms of the deal were not made public. Paramount would not address stories that the company had paid $150 million in shares and money.

Mr Ellison built his career as a Hollywood movie maker of major films such as Top Gun Maverick, True Grit and World War Z.

He has said his goal is to produce journalism that is less partisan, and therefore has the potential to connect with all demographics.

His acquisition of Paramount was approved by regulators this summer, after the company committed to pay $16 million to conclude a legal action.

To secure clearance of the acquisition, Mr Ellison agreed to install an external reviewer at CBS to examine complaints of bias and promised to regulators that coverage would reflect a variety of perspectives.

He also said CBS's long-running political show "Face the Nation" would discontinue air edited interviews.

Partnership Details

CBS News has a partnership agreement with another major network, meaning news reporting including recorded segments can be exchanged.

In a statement announcing the arrangement, Ms Weiss said she believed in the Paramount boss and his leadership team.

"They are making significant investments because they believe in news. Because they have bravery. Because they cherish this country. And because they recognize, as we do, that America cannot thrive without common facts, universal realities, and a unified worldview," she wrote.