Claudia Milne, who has been leading standards and practices at CBS News since 2021, announced her exit from the Paramount Skydance division on Thursday morning, marking her as the first senior executive to leave following Bari Weiss’s appointment as editor in chief and the hiring of a former Trump adviser as ombudsman, which has intensified scrutiny on the news organization.
“We find ourselves in complex times. For our company, our industry, and our nation, what we do becomes increasingly significant,” Milne expressed in her farewell message to colleagues. “Our duty as journalists is to hold those in power accountable. We must question and challenge our political leaders, be they Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative… we need to scrutinize the social media platforms that strive to control our focus, the businesses that govern our healthcare, and the institutions shaping our education system… and much more.”
She further encouraged her team: “I urge you all to keep asking those difficult questions, challenge authority, and continue to inform the public. I know you will carry on doing this in the fair, balanced, and unbiased manner that has always been the bedrock of this organization and good journalism.”
Milne’s announcement follows a period of heightened scrutiny for CBS News staff after Paramount shifted newsgathering oversight to Bari Weiss, an opinion entrepreneur without prior experience in mainstream media, whose company, The Free Press, has gained traction among conservatives and political opinion followers. Weiss answers directly to David Ellison, the new CEO of Paramount, while CBS News President Tom Cibrowski supports her in implementing new initiatives.
CBS News has faced several months of turmoil. Programs like “60 Minutes” and “Face the Nation” have drawn complaints from the Trump administration, and decisions made by two different teams of Paramount managers have undermined the authority of these programs by paying a $16 million settlement to President Trump related to what many consider a weak lawsuit connected to a “60 Minutes” interview with former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Two senior executives, Bill Owens, previously the executive producer of “60 Minutes,” and Wendy McMahon, former head of CBS News and local stations, have departed, citing disagreements on Paramount’s management of these issues. Recently, CBS News agreed to present only live interviews on “Face the Nation,” losing the ability to edit out inaccuracies or evasive responses from guests.
Paramount further garnered attention by appointing Kenneth Weinstein, a former Trump adviser, as an ombudsman responsible for monitoring CBS News’ reporting and addressing claims of bias, a move that could diminish the authority of the standards department.
There will still be executives overseeing standards and practices at CBS News. Susan Zirinsky, a past president of CBS News, was appointed earlier in 2025 to act as an interim “executive editor,” tasked with reviewing stories and journalistic practices. Al Ortiz, a former senior producer and standards executive at CBS News,
Milne held various roles at CBS News since joining in 2019, starting as the managing editor of “CBS This Morning,” a version of the CBS morning news franchise that aimed to focus more on hard news. She took on increased leadership roles during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential elections. In 2021, she also began supervising a new unit focused on tackling misinformation and issues related to deepfakes, which includes false videos often produced using artificial intelligence.
Before her tenure at CBS News, Milne served as the senior video editor at ProPublica and led live television at Bloomberg TV. She dedicated a significant portion of her career to the BBC, where she held senior roles as a producer on major broadcasts and across all digital and 24-hour news services.
Milne has strong connections to CBS News, as her father, Stephen Milne, worked as an editor in the CBS News London Bureau for three decades, including over ten years under Don Hewitt, the inaugural executive producer of “60 Minutes.”
“I learned at a young age about the sacrifices you and your families make for this work. The late nights, missed birthdays and holidays, while he worked in Iran during the hostage crisis, the Afghan war (the Soviet one), Israel, Iraq, and numerous other places. He instilled in me a curiosity about the world and a belief in the significance of your work. I learned much at the kitchen table when he was home,” Milne reflected, adding, “It has been a privilege to work alongside all of you, and I hope to have made your work a little better at times.”
