It is no secret that the Intramuralist has long appreciated the insight and influence of Bari Weiss, the articulate, incredibly witty, always fair, more-liberal-than-conservative, Jewish, lesbian journalist who left the New York Times because she wasn’t left enough for them. Bari is respectful and thought-provoking. She founded the truth-based Free Press; her platform just increased immensely. Excuse us this day, as we hear Bari’s announcement this week. It’s a little longer for us than usual, but I believe it to be noteworthy. Also, all emphasis is mine. From Bari…
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We’ve sent more than 4,000 emails since we started The Free Press five years ago. This one is different. We’re a news organization, so I’ll get right to it: This morning, The Free Press is joining Paramount. This move is a testament to many things: The Free Press team; the vision of Paramount’s new leaders; the luck of starting an independent media company at the right moment; and the courage of my colleagues to leave behind old worlds to build a new one. But, above all, it’s a testament to you, our subscribers.
From day one, the promise—and the business proposition—of this publication was simple: We would marry the quality of the old world to the freedom of the new. We would seek the truth and tell it plainly. And we would treat readers like adults capable of making their own choices. So many people told us this was no longer possible. That the premise of a media company built on trust rather than partisanship was, at best, a relic from the past—and, at worst, a fantasy that never was. That the internet killed journalism. That there simply weren’t enough Americans out there in search of media driven by honesty, independence, and integrity. You proved them wrong. You demonstrated that there’s a market for honest journalism. And you’ve given us a mandate to pursue that mission from an even bigger platform…
The Free Press uncovered an America hiding in plain sight. People who want to be surprised. People who want to learn. People who are open to changing their minds in the face of new facts. People who believe that curiosity is a virtue and who crave common sense in a world that feels upside down. People who resist the warmth of political tribalism even as they seek community with one another. People who want logic and wit, not conspiracy theories and demoralization.
Most of all, Free Pressers are people who want to face the truth. Because we understand that knowing it is the only way to improve lives—our own and those of our fellow citizens. Being almost entirely a subscription business has kept us honest. We publish stories, we get subscribers. We build trust, we get subscribers. Story by story, hire by hire, that’s what we did.
I won’t list the news this team has broken, the brilliant pieces by our writers that made sense of a roiling and confused political moment, the conversations we’ve cracked open, or the merry band of brilliant misfits who have done it all…
If you have been here from the start, you might have questions. Wasn’t The Free Press started precisely because the old media institutions had failed? Isn’t the whole premise of this publication that we need to build anew? Why flee The New York Times only to head back into another legacy institution?
In 2020, when I quit The New York Times, I left a job that, on paper, was exactly the one I had always dreamed of having. But it wasn’t The New York Times anymore. It was, by then, a fancy logo and a motto that many had abandoned in exchange for devotion to a set of narrow, partisan ideas.
I was raised to be a believer in the institutions that built America and that made sense of it—the universities, book publishers, movie studios, and newspaper companies that forged public opinion for the entirety of my grandparents’ and parents’ lives. But what I found in 2020 is that the most important public conversations were happening outside of those places. I wanted to be a part of that more than I wanted to cling to the prestige.
Five years later, so much has changed. As the gatekeepers of the mainstream have failed one after another, an explosion took place across the media landscape. Incredible new voices came to the fore. Personalities and influencers have overtaken hundred-year-old journalism brands in only a few years. It’s an exciting, fascinating moment. It is also a deeply uncertain one.
If the illiberalism of our institutions has been the story of the last decade, we now face a different form of illiberalism emanating from our fringes. On the one hand, an America-loathing far left. On the other, a history-erasing far right. These extremes do not represent the majority of the country, but they have increasing power in our politics, our culture, and our media ecosystem.
Overlooked by all these so-called interlocutors are the enormous numbers of smart, politically mixed, pragmatic Americans. The people who believe, unapologetically, in the American project. This is the actual mainstream. These people are the overwhelming majority of the country. And they are being ill-served.
As proud as we are of the 1.5 million subscribers who have joined under the banner of The Free Press—and we are astonished at that number—this is a country with 340 million people. We want our work to reach more of them, as quickly as possible. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity allows us to do that. It gives The Free Press a chance to help reshape a storied media organization—to help guide CBS News into a future that honors those great values that underpin The Free Press and the best of American journalism. And in doing so, to bring our mission to millions of people.
The values that we’ve hammered out here over the years—journalism based in curiosity and honesty, a culture of healthy disagreement, our shared belief in America’s promise—now have the opportunity to go very, very big…
What does this mean for CBS News? It means a redoubled commitment to great journalism. It means building on a storied legacy—and bringing that historic newsroom into 2025 and beyond. Most of all, it means working tirelessly to make sure CBS News is the most trusted news organization in the world.
We would not be doing this if we did not believe in David Ellison, and the entire leadership team who took over Paramount this summer. They are doubling down because they believe in news. Because they have courage. Because they love this country. And because they understand, as we do, that America cannot thrive without common facts, common truths, and a common reality.
If you’ve been on this journey with us at The Free Press since the office was our kitchen table, thank you. If you’re a CBS News reader or viewer hearing our name for the first time: I am eager to earn your trust.
With immense gratitude,
Bari
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Blessings, Bari. The Intramuralist respects you deeply. We’re with you on this and can’t wait to tune in.
Respectfully…
AR