A wave of “CBS Evening News” staffers are heading for the exits as looming layoffs under editor in chief Bari Weiss rattle the newsroom, the New York Post reports.
Roughly a quarter of eligible employees have accepted voluntary buyouts, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Eleven non-union staffers took the offer, including at least six producers — a sizable chunk of the show’s roughly 20 producers.
“Seems like people are jumping ship,” the insider said.
The “Evening News” employs more than 40 non-unionized staffers in total. Buyouts were only offered to non-union employees.
A CBS News spokesperson declined to comment.
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Last month, CBS offered what it described internally as an “extraordinary chance” for eligible staffers to take a one-time voluntary buyout ahead of broader company-wide cuts expected as early as March.
The offer followed a January town hall in which Weiss made clear that employees unhappy with her vision were free to leave.
“It’s a free country, and I completely respect if you decide I’m not the right leader for you, or this isn’t the right place at the right time,” she told staff.
Weiss, who has been shaking up the struggling news division, said she wants to pivot toward more “revelatory journalism” and hard-hitting investigative scoops across both digital and broadcast platforms.
“We have to look honestly at ourselves. We are not producing a product that enough people want,” she said.
Weiss has drawn internal criticism over several high-profile decisions.
She recently tapped controversial anti-aging influencer Peter Attia as a contributor, despite revelations of past email correspondence between Attia and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. In one email, Attia wrote to Epstein that “p—y is, indeed, low carb.”
Attia later said he was “ashamed” of the “tasteless and indefensible” exchange.
Despite staff backlash and calls to cut ties, Weiss — a vocal critic of cancel culture — has stood by the hire, The Post previously reported.
Other changes include replacing longtime “Evening News” anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois with Tony Dokoupil, as well as shelving a “60 Minutes” report on El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison until additional reporting was added — a move that sparked internal pushback.
With another round of layoffs expected within weeks, morale inside CBS News appears increasingly shaky.
“It’s a lot of people,” one CBS insider said of the buyouts.
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