The Writers Guild of America has advised its members working at CBS News to refrain from responding to a recent email from Bari Weiss — the founder of The Free Press who was appointed editor in chief at CBS News this week. The guild is seeking clarification on the intent of her message, particularly regarding whether employee replies could have repercussions including “discipline, discharge, or layoff.”
Founded by Weiss in 2021, The Free Press was recently acquired by Paramount Skydance, CBS’s parent company, in a deal reportedly valued at $150 million. Weiss will oversee CBS News’ editorial direction as part of this arrangement.
On Friday morning, Weiss reached out to the CBS News staff, expressing her desire to learn about how employees utilize their work hours and what accomplishments they are proud of. She requested every employee within the news division to submit a memo containing these insights by Tuesday, Oct. 14, along with their perspectives on current operations and areas for improvement. Weiss assured that all responses would remain confidential.
According to a Variety-obtained email sent to WGA members, union representatives acknowledged the concerns employees had regarding Weiss’s request for job-related information and feedback. They expressed solidarity with these concerns.
The WGA message added, “Consequently, we have asked the company to clarify the purpose of the email by Monday. We recommend that you hold off on your responses until we can provide you with the information needed to make an informed decision by the Tuesday deadline.” The email was signed by Michael Isaac, director of broadcast/cable/streaming news, along with field representatives Brandon West, Sophie Martin, and Dana Trentalange.
As of now, CBS representatives have not responded to inquiries for comments. The WGA East represents unionized CBS News employees along with those at CBS News Digital.
Weiss’s memo echoed a program established earlier this year by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spearheaded by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. Beginning in February, Musk mandated that federal employees submit a weekly list of “five things” they accomplished. He indicated that failure to comply would be considered a resignation, as noted in a policy announcement on X through a post. In August, the White House officially terminated DOGE’s weekly email requirement.
In their email, WGA representatives requested that CBS provide the following clarifications:
- Who received the email?
- Who will have access to the responses from employees?
- Will the answers given by employees be used for discipline, discharge, or layoffs?
- Will there be consequences for employees who do not reply to the email?
- What is the company’s intention with the responses?
- Will AI technologies be employed to analyze the responses? If so, what criteria will be used?
- What measures are in place to guarantee non-discriminatory results?
As detailed in a memo from Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison shared on Monday (Oct. 6), Weiss is expected to “help ensure that our reporting remains pertinent, accessible, and — crucially — trusted in this new era for American media.”
