Bari Weiss, newly installed as editor in chief of CBS News, is reportedly preparing a dramatic shake-up that could sideline CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King and slash her multimillion-dollar salary.
According to Western Journal, King may be shifted from her high-profile anchor chair into a reduced role as a correspondent, with her pay potentially cut in half from its current $13 million. As reported by the New York Post and cited in the piece, Weiss and King recently held a low-key lunch to discuss moving King into a special correspondent or a position in which King does occasional reports that let her put her skill interviewing celebs to use, sources told the outlet.
CBS News President Tom Cibrowski is said to be backing the move, signaling that this is more than a trial balloon and could mark a broader course correction at the network. The Post also noted that Kings contract is renewed annually, with the next decision point coming in May, giving Weiss a natural opening to restructure Kings role.
Weiss is no conservative firebrand, but even as a liberal lesbian she appears intent on restoring at least a semblance of journalistic rigor at a network long criticized for progressive bias. That effort inevitably means confronting on-air personalities whose commentary has often veered into ideological territory rather than straightforward reporting.
Kings tenure on CBS Mornings has included moments that underscored that problem, particularly her on-air reaction to President Trumps inauguration. CBS aired footage of the ceremony with King narrating, and she remarked, I have to say. Im looking at this crowd. I do not see many people of color. Does anybody else besides me observe that?
She continued, Im fascinated by why that is? and the backlash was swift from viewers who saw the remarks as racially divisive and gratuitous. Heritage Foundation media fellow Tim Young responded, Everything has to be about race. America is sick of this thats why Trump won.
Social media users piled on, accusing CBS of obsessively racializing coverage that should have been focused on the peaceful transfer of power. One critic mockingly asked, Do you have a department in your news division for counting black people?
Another viewer dispensed with any pretense of subtlety, calling the segment blatant ideological messaging. That user wrote, Wow. Just overt racist propaganda.
Just when you think CBS cant get any lower. Those reactions captured a broader frustration among conservatives who see legacy outlets like CBS as more interested in progressive narratives than in balanced reporting.
Weisss reported moves do not signal a pro-Trump network, but they do suggest a recognition that CBS cannot continue down the same path without hemorrhaging credibility. Trying anything other than the reflexive never-Trump, race-obsessed formula is, at this point, an improvement for CBS and a small step toward the standards Americans once expected from major newsrooms.
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