CBS’ Conservative Cop
Donald Trump “is the ultimate outsider.” He’s a “bold businessman who asks uncomfortable questions that typical policymakers are too squeamish to ask.” People “may dislike Trump’s methods, but they should appreciate his clarity about power dynamics.” And he has “set a standard in American policymaking of standing up for American workers and consumers.”
Those words aren’t from Fox News host Sean Hannity’s nightly sycophantic monologue. They come from Kenneth Weinstein, who lavished Trump with praise in a column published this summer. On Monday, David Ellison’s Paramount named Weinstein the new ombudsman of CBS News, charged with reviewing complaints about the news division. While Weinstein tried to sanitize his digital footprint by deleting his X account, the internet is forever and an online paper trail remains—one that is devoid of any journalism expertise, but reveals a staunch conservative and vocal Trump supporter.
Indeed, Weinstein’s late July column is hardly an isolated example of his pro-MAGA history…
The rest of this story is for paid subscribers only.
Already a subscriber? Sign in.
Scoop-driven reporting and sharp-edged analysis. See why The Wall Street Journal declared Status a “must-read.”
Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The Future of Fox: The future of Rupert Murdoch’s right-wing media empire and Fox News has been cemented. On Monday, the Murdoch family announced its long-running and high-stakes succession showdown had come to a close, with Rupert reaching a deal with his children that will hand the reins of his media empire to…
The remainder of this newsletter is for paid subscribers only.
Scoop-driven reporting and sharp-edged analysis. See why thousands of industry professionals rely on Status.
Already a subscriber? Sign in.
A subscription gets you full access to our nightly newsletter, which includes:
✅ Essential reporting on and analysis of the Fourth Estate, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, the Information Wars, and more.
✅ Hand-curated links to the most consequential stories moving the needle in the key corridors of the industry.
✅ Unlimited access to our online archive where you can read previous editions of the newsletter.
Related Knowledge Center: The CBS submission
Corporate pressure has led to capitulation by CBS News in a number of conflicts with the Trump regime — including its newly ideological coverage philosophy.
Related Knowledge Center: The White House vs. the press
Whether it’s the Des Moines Register’s publication of an unfavorable election poll, a routine edit of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, or the Associated Press’s decision in its authoritative stylebook to continue to use “Gulf of Mexico,” Donald Trump and the White House have used executive authority and legal reprisals in an effort to punish and suppress press coverage that runs contrary to the administration’s preferred narratives.
Democracy and politics | Signalgate | The CBS submission | Voiceless America
Related Knowledge Center: State of the business model
The traditional journalism business model has long since collapsed, and news organizations have shrunk or disappeared entirely. While a number of promising experiments are under way, the public has not shown a willingness to buy what news organizations are selling.