Paramount Skydance is about to put Bari Weiss in charge of CBS News. This is not a small shuffle. Weiss has built a career on provocation and taking sides. She will report directly to Paramount CEO David Ellison, bypassing CBS leadership. That means she will have almost total control over what millions of Americans see and hear.
“Paramount is set to announce on Monday its acquisition of ‘The Free Press’ and its plans to name the journalist CBS News’ inaugural editor in chief.”
https://www.thewrap.com/paramount-bari-weiss-free-press-cbs-news/
Trust in media is at a historic low. Gallup finds only 28 percent of Americans now have faith that newspapers, television, and radio report fully and fairly. People do not just doubt the news—they expect bias, spin, and hidden agendas.
“Americans’ confidence in the mass media has edged down to a new low with just 28% expressing a ‘great deal’ or ‘fair amount’ of trust in newspapers, television, and radio to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly.”
https://news.gallup.com/poll/695762/trust-media-new-low.aspx
Meanwhile, the old TV audience is disappearing. Nielsen shows streaming now takes more than broadcast and cable combined. Cable TV is down to five networks, mostly ESPN and three news channels. The market favors content that grabs attention fast, not reporting that takes time or tells inconvenient truths.
“Streaming represented 44.8% of TV viewership in May 2025, its largest share of viewing to date, while broadcast and cable combined represented 44.2%.”
https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2025/streaming-reaches-historic-tv-milestone-eclipses-combined-broadcast-and-cable-viewing-for-first-time/
“More accurately, the cable TV bundle is just ESPN, three cable news networks, and one lifestyle network on a given evening.”
https://theankler.com/p/cable-tv-now-basically-down-to-5
Look at it: one editor pushing stories that divide, people jumping from platform to platform, and almost nobody trusting what they read. Anger spreads fast, communities fight, and everyone ends up stuck in their own bubble where fear is louder than facts. Millions could start seeing the world only through screens that make them anxious, frustrated, and suspicious of everyone around them.
