There is about to be a monumental shift in American media. Reports are circulating that Bari Weiss and her startup, the Free Press, are on the verge of selling to Paramount for $200 million. If that deal goes through, it will be one of the most consequential shakeups in journalism in the 21st century.

This is not just about another media company changing hands. This is about CBS News, one of the most historic and once most trusted brands in journalism, being reshaped at its very foundation. For decades CBS stood as a symbol of credibility, and now it faces the possibility of being completely remade.

Here is where my own perspective comes in. Like Weiss and the Free Press, I use Substack as one of my main ways of distributing the news directly to you. But unlike Weiss, I am not building toward a multimillion-dollar sale to a corporate giant. My goal is independence. Independence means full editorial control, answering only to the facts and to you, my readers. It means no compromises, no outside influence, and no deals that put funding ahead of truth.

I know this path is harder. It relies on your subscriptions, your trust, and your continued support. But it also ensures that the news you get here is free—not just free of paywalls, but free of outside control.

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Now, back to what’s happening inside CBS. Paramount itself has been thrown into upheaval since its high-profile merger with Skydance. The merger was driven by 41-year-old David Ellison, and it has already unsettled the newsroom.

Regulators only approved the Skydance-Paramount deal after demanding major concessions. Paramount was forced to eliminate DEI mandates and install an ombudsman tasked with monitoring bias. Inside CBS, these moves were seen not as safeguards but as warning shots aimed directly at editorial independence.

Controversies quickly followed the merger. CBS quietly settled a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump over edits made to a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. That settlement raised serious questions about the network’s ability to withstand political pressure while maintaining press freedom.

Trump claimed the Skydance merger even included a side arrangement. He suggested that deal guaranteed him millions in favorable ad placements on CBS News. Whether or not that is true, the perception alone erodes public trust and underscores how politics and corporate interests increasingly collide.

Then CBS abruptly announced the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The official reason was “financial constraints,” but few inside the industry believed that explanation told the whole story. Colbert was a persistent critic of Trump, and his removal suggested that editorial choices were no longer insulated from political influence.

It is in this fragile environment that Bari Weiss enters the picture. She has built the Free Press into one of the most prominent independent publications on Substack. Her readership is made up largely of those disillusioned with mainstream outlets and hungry for an alternative voice.

A $200 million buyout would change everything for Weiss. Overnight, she would go from independent outsider to one of the most powerful figures in the mainstream press. The weight of that influence is exactly what has CBS journalists on edge.

The reaction inside CBS has already been fierce. One insider told Status News, “Not happy AT ALL,” describing a newsroom on edge. Another journalist went further, saying they would resign rather than work under Weiss and closing with a sharp farewell: “Good night, and bad luck.”

That phrase was no accident. It deliberately played on Edward R. Murrow’s famous sign-off, “Good night, and good luck.” By turning the words around, the journalist captured the dread that CBS may lose its historic identity as a standard-bearer of fearless, independent reporting.

It is worth pausing to remember what CBS once represented. Murrow stood up to McCarthyism when few dared to challenge the senator’s fearmongering. Cronkite’s reporting on Vietnam and Watergate reshaped public opinion and helped topple trust in institutions that had gone unchecked.

Those moments defined CBS News as the gold standard of serious, independent journalism. But that legacy has eroded under years of declining ratings, falling public trust, and increasing corporate interference. The entry of Weiss may be the moment that buries it completely.

The Weiss–Paramount deal is not simply a business story. It is a test case for the future of journalism in America. The question is whether every independent voice will eventually be absorbed by corporate giants, or whether real independence can survive.

One thing is already certain. If this deal closes, its ripple effects will be felt far beyond CBS itself. It will shape the trust people place in news, and it will reshape the very idea of editorial independence.

And that is why your support matters now more than ever. Independence is not easy, and it rarely comes with billion-dollar buyouts. But it is the only way to keep the news factual, honest, and truly free.