The first place David Ellison went after closing Skydance’s $8 billion deal for Paramount Global on Aug. 7 was the offices of CBS News on the west side of Manhattan. In meetings with the journalists and staff there, he praised the legacy of the TV news division, once the home of Edward R. Murrow, and committed to investing in its future.

That vision, however, will be put to the test, as a long-rumored deal is now official, and the implications for the future of CBS News are consequential.

Paramount on Monday said that it has officially acquired The Free Press, the digital publication founded by Bari Weiss , and will bring her in to the fold of CBS News. The move, which had been expected for weeks, is nonetheless being greeted with dread inside the news division.

The first place Dav

See Full Page