Paramount is close to appointing media entrepreneur Bari Weiss to a high perch at CBS News in the role of Editor-in-Chief as the conglomerate closes in on a deal to acquire the digital news site The Free Press that she launched as a newsletter in 2021.

The Free Press, which brings a center-right point of view to its journalism, has generated a significant subscriber base since its initial founding as a newsletter in 2021. The pact is reportedly worth up to $150 million, although that pricetag has shocked industry observers as undoubtedly inflated by the desire of Paramount to bring Weiss, a former opinion writer for the New York Times, into the fold.

The deal is expected to be finalized on Oct. 6. If consummated, Paramount CEO David Ellison will have installed a provocative writer

See Full Page