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MacFarlane's CBS Verdict

Status · Oliver Darcy · last updated

On Monday morning, CBS News staffers who dialed into the network’s morning editorial call learned some unsettling news: Justice Department correspondent Scott MacFarlane had become the latest high-profile staffer to exit the network. Editor-In-Chief Bari Weiss praised MacFarlane for being a scoop machine, and network President Tom Cibrowski informed those on the call that MacFarlane had made the decision to depart on his own.

Shortly afterward, MacFarlane sent a note to colleagues informing them that his work “will soon no longer appear on CBS News.” The correspondent thanked his CBS News family for their support over the years, while also stressing the move was his decision and that he “appreciate[d] the bosses at CBS for understanding it.”

“I will always value the opportunity I had to work alongside the talented and committed professionals here,” MacFarlane wrote. “I’m proud to have had the words ‘CBS correspondent’ next to my name—always will be.”

The high-profile exit left people inside and outside the network eager to understand the backstory. So what happened? Multiple people familiar with the matter told Status that…

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