• Bari Weiss plans to bring in 19 new commentators to reshape CBS News's direction.
• The network aims to appeal to a broader political spectrum amidst viewership decline.
• Significant staffing cuts will affect current employees who do not align with the new vision.
• Weiss acknowledges the network has not produced content that appeals to enough viewers.
• A shift towards a streaming-focused strategy is set to reimagine news delivery at CBS.

CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss recently announced her strategy aiming to invigorate the newsroom, revealing plans to hire approximately 19 new commentators while making significant cuts to current staffing. This strategic move highlights Weiss's commitment to attract a politically diverse audience and to reflect the current political climate. During an all-hands meeting, she indicated that the goal is to enhance CBS's commentary offerings, drawing inspiration from platforms like CNN and Fox News, as reported by NPR and Al Jazeera.

Weiss expects these changes will broaden the network's appeal amid ongoing challenges, particularly a notable decline in viewership. As part of this initiative, she expressed the need for CBS to shift its focus towards streaming and podcasting to stay relevant in a digital-first environment, emphasizing that sticking solely to traditional broadcast methods would lead to failure. Weiss stated, "I’m here to tell you that if we stick to that [focusing on broadcast] strategy, we’re toast," according to Reuters.

The decision to expand the commentary team includes notable hires such as conservative figures like British historian Niall Ferguson and former Trump National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, further highlighting Weiss's shift towards bringing in varied perspectives to combat claims of bias. However, this line of thinking has found critics within the organization, as some current CBS journalists have expressed concerns regarding the potential impacts on the network's credibility, a sentiment echoed by former CBS journalist Judy Muller who stated, "This is a big, big swing away from everything CBS News has stood for for decades," as noted by NPR, Al Jazeera, and Reuters.

As Weiss implements this strategy, she is also grappling with the pushback from both employees and critics outside the network regarding her leadership style, which has been described as divisive. Weiss has already experienced challenges, including delaying the airing of a "60 Minutes" segment that led to internal contention among CBS News staff who claimed the decision was politically motivated. Sharyn Alfonsi, a correspondent for CBS, criticized the delay publicly, expressing concern that "the segment was factually correct" and questioning the rationale for its postponement, as detailed by NPR and Reuters.

Weiss's approach aims to foster a newsroom that is more reflective of the nation's political divides, thereby allowing CBS News to reconnect with viewers who feel overlooked by traditional media narratives. She is quoted saying, "To cover America as it actually is, we in this building need to reflect more of the political friction that animates our national conversation," reinforcing her vision for a newsroom that welcomes diverse voices, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.

Overall, Weiss's transformative strategy reflects an awareness of the evolving media landscape and the necessity for news organizations to adapt in order to engage contemporary audiences effectively. However, how her policies resonate with the existing staff and viewers remains to be seen as CBS News seeks to reverse its declining ratings under her leadership, a challenge outlined in detail by NPR, Al Jazeera, and Reuters.