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** OPINION
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Good morning, everyone. Tom Jones is on vacation, but the team at Poynter is keeping tabs on the latest media news and analysis.


** CBS News hired Bari Weiss to shake things up. Whether she can is the big question.
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The CBS logo appears at its broadcast center in New York on May 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

A few months ago, as Skydance edged closer to acquiring Paramount Global, a curious rumor caught fire in media circles: Skydance CEO David Ellison was eyeing Bari Weiss to lead CBS News.

CBS, home to venerable institutions like “60 Minutes” and “Face the Nation,” is a legacy, mainstream broadcast journalism outlet. Weiss, meanwhile, built her career as a contrarian columnist at The New York Times before stepping away in a highly publicized resignation over what she described as ideological groupthink. She soon launched The Free Press, an outlet that rails against the establishment with commentary that skews conservative. The idea that she might soon run one of America’s most traditional broadcast news operations seemed unfathomable.

But, earlier this month, the rumors came true.

In the latest episode of “The Poynter Report Podcast,” ([link removed]) Guardian US media and power reporter Jeremy Barr unpacks what Weiss’ surprise appointment means for CBS News and how her outsider status may be a source of strength but also a major liability.
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“It seems like part of the hope — and I think that’s maybe part of the hope across the whole industry — is bringing in younger people and seeing if they can shake things up and maybe attract more other younger people, right?” Barr said. “Young people don’t generally watch broadcast news or pay for things besides Netflix.”

Weiss has kicked off her tenure with listening tours, staff meetings and speeches aimed at energizing the newsroom. But, Barr noted, winning over a legacy institution like CBS won’t be easy.

“Every media company is skeptical of outsiders. Every place I've worked, I think you have to kind of prove yourself with the people who've been working there for a lot longer. I think that's got to be even more so at a place that's like CBS News,” he said. “So there's a lot stacked against her.”

Poynter senior media writer and podcast host Tom Jones asked Barr what signs he’s watching to gauge Weiss’ influence at CBS News. Barr pointed to the network’s coverage of Israel and Gaza — Weiss has been outspoken in her support for Israel.

“People inside the network that are very focused on their coverage of Israel and Gaza are very carefully looking at the wording and the booking choices,” he said, adding that it’s “probably the most obvious place to look.”

Another early signal will be whether flagship shows like “60 Minutes” maintain their vigorous reporting of the federal government. “In the last season, ‘60 Minutes’ had pretty tough, aggressive coverage of the Trump administration,” he said. “I think people are curious to see whether that will continue.”

Staffers are also watching to see which colleagues rise in prominence. “CBS Morning” anchor Tony Dokoupil, for example, was dispatched to Israel during the ceasefire, which Barr found notable.

“He clearly is in the favor of Bari Weiss,” he said, adding that he’s heard speculation that Dokoupil could anchor a bigger CBS program.

Still, Barr emphasized, many staffers are more focused on survival.

“The average staffer is also just focused on, like, whether I will be employed in one month from now … So I think people are certainly skeptical of Bari. Some people are more willing to give her a chance.”

In the rest of their conversation, Barr and Jones touch on how the Pentagon has adjusted its communications strategy under Pete Hegseth’s leadership, the changing status of press freedom under the second Trump presidency and the upcoming split between NBC and MSNBC. Barr also reflects on his new role at the Guardian US, where he plans to continue reporting on the changing media landscape with a global lens.

Aside from watching on YouTube ([link removed]) , you can also find the show on Apple ([link removed]) , Spotify ([link removed]) , and most places where you find podcasts.

By Ren LaForme, managing editor


** Warner Bros. Discovery is open to sale
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Warner Bros. Discovery, the media conglomerate that owns CNN and other channels like Food Network, Animal Planet and Investigation Discovery, is on the market, CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter reported ([link removed]) Tuesday.

“The media giant says it has received ‘multiple’ expressions of interest from potential buyers, indicating that Paramount Skydance is not the only suitor for the media company,” Stelter wrote. Warner Bros. Discovery said in a statement Tuesday morning that its board of directors has begun a “review of strategic alternatives,” which could result in a sale of the entire company, a continuation of a plan to split the company into two, or some other outcome.

Paramount Skydance, the recently merged conglomerate, was reported to be among those interested, and perhaps the only serious offer so far. Stelter reported Tuesday that Paramount Skydance has been “making overtures” to buy all of Warner Bros. Discovery in advance of the planned split. According to CNBC media and sports reporter Alex Sherman ([link removed]) , sources told him that Paramount made several bids to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, all of which were rejected.

In an exclusive ([link removed]) , Dawn Chmielewski of Reuters also reported that the board rejected an offer from Paramount Skydance on Tuesday. It was a mostly cash offer, valued at slightly less than $60 billion, according to Chmielewski.

The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin and Keith Collins published an interactive ([link removed]) showing what a merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. would look like. Think DC Comics with “Star Trek,” “The Sopranos” with Scooby-Doo, and “The Godfather” with the bespectacled magic orphan, Harry Potter.

“Combining Paramount and Warner Bros. would bring together hit franchises and more than a century of cinematic storytelling,” they wrote. “But it could also reduce competition for new projects and result in major cost-cutting as two studios come under the same corporate umbrella.”

If this were to really go down, Mullin and Collins described a powerful combination of CNN and CBS News that could bring forth significant cost-cutting because of the overlap in newsgathering and production costs.

By Amaris Castillo, staff writer


** Student newsrooms unite behind Stanford in speech fight
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Support has grown for Stanford University’s student newspaper in its legal challenge to the Trump administration. The case, brought by the ACLU of Northern California, argues that federal officials are using immigration laws to punish and deport foreign nationals — including student journalists — for expressing political views about Israel and Palestine.

The Yale Daily News, considered the oldest college daily newspaper, reported this week that it has joined an amicus brief in support of The Stanford Daily in “a lawsuit ([link removed]) that challenges the Trump administration’s use of a federal immigration law to allegedly suppress political speech by international students, including student journalists.”

According to staff reporter Jaeha Jang ([link removed]) , several organizations like the Student Press Law Center ([link removed]) and the Associated Collegiate Press ([link removed]) are joined by 44 student newspapers and 11 student newsroom leaders from across the country.

The amicus brief ([link removed]) serves several purposes. The organizations and student journalists aim to emphasize the “importance of the work of a student press that reflects a diverse range of viewpoints and voices; to detail the real, persistent, and devastating chilling effect that the government’s attack on disfavored speech has had on student-led newsrooms like The Stanford Daily; and to explain the potential long-term harms that will flow from allowing the government to continue its unlawful, anticonstitutional campaign to stifle speech and speakers it dislikes.”

Jang spoke with Matthew Cate, the author of the brief and a member of the Student Press Law Center’s board of directors, who said the brief shows the court and the world that “this issue is bigger than one newsroom or one arrest or one deportation.” It’s an issue, Cate said, that is being played out all across the country with devastating impact.

In a statement, Yale Daily News editor-in-chief and president Ariela Lopez said international students at the Ivy League university seem more reluctant to contribute to the publication or speak to reporters.

The Cavalier Daily, a student-run daily news organization at the University of Virginia, is also part of the amicus brief, according to a story published Tuesday ([link removed]) from journalist Brendon Bordwine. Naima Sawaya, its editor-in-chief, said that what the Student Press Law Center and the Stanford case argue is reflective of the Cavalier Daily’s experiences. And it was something that the staff wanted to support more broadly.

“At its core, this is a statement about editorial processes and systems, not about politics,” Sawaya said. “It’s about ensuring that papers like ourselves have the ability to continue publishing without fear of retribution and that all staffers are protected by the same rights.”

By Amaris Castillo, staff writer


** Media tidbits and links
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* Axios’ Sara Fischer with “NYT to debut new TikTok-like ‘Watch’ tab in its app.” ([link removed]) The Times previously introduced a standalone audio app, which it folded into its flagship app in September ([link removed]) as a “Listen” tab. That effort informed the company's experience when developing its new “Watch” tab, deputy managing editor Sam Dolnick told Axios.
* This is, uh, something. The xxxxxx’s Will Sommer with “How a Bizarre Healing-TV-Screen Tycoon Is Funding MAGA Media.” ([link removed])
* Here’s another one. For Mediaite, Ahmad Austin Jr. writes “‘Vicious and Depraved’: Tucker Carlson Slammed for Pushing Conspiracy Theory That Jews Were Made Immune to Covid-19.” ([link removed])
* The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand writes “Introducing the NBA’s new TV landscape: NBC is back, Amazon debuts and ‘Inside’ moves over.” ([link removed])
* Robyn Tomlin has been named executive director of the American Press Institute ([link removed]) . The news veteran most recently served as chief news and membership officer at McClatchy. Michael D. Bolden stepped down as API’s executive director in July to become dean of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
* AdWeek’s X writes “OpenAI Takes on Google With Atlas AI Browser.” ([link removed])
* And for Forbes, Emily Baker-White writes “TikTok Won’t Say If It’s Giving ICE Your Data.” ([link removed])


** More resources for journalists
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* Airs live tomorrow: Deepen your coverage of incarcerated women and women with incarcerated family members and get the chance to apply for one of five $10,000 reporting grants. Enroll now ([link removed])
* Interested in learning more about funding local news? Start here ([link removed]) .
* Journalists: It’s time to take care of yourself, too ([link removed]) . Enroll now in a free session on embodiment practices to rest and regroup.
* Amp up your editing skills, improve your work life and advance your career with Poynter’s ACES Certificates ([link removed]) .
* Gain the skills to spot AI risks like bias, misinformation and hallucinations before they harm your work. Enroll now ([link removed]) .
* Stop wasting hours on repetitive tasks — automate them instead. Learn how ([link removed]) .
* Access a list of mental health reporting resources ([link removed]) on funding, source-building and more.

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

The Poynter Report is your daily dive into the world of media, packed with the latest news and insights. Get it delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday by signing up here ([link removed]) . And don’t forget to tune into our biweekly podcast ([link removed]) for even more.
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