Our Goal is Not to Deliver the News
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If you are under the impression that the job of a network news division is to inform the public, the new leadership at CBS News has a message for you: You’re doing it wrong.
Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief of CBS News, recently laid out a directive that fundamentally changes the mission of the CBS Evening News. In a memo to top producers regarding anchor Tony Dokoupil’s recent cross-country tour, Weiss explicitly stated that the objective was not to inform the viewers, but to chase social media clout.
“The goal for this road show is not to deliver the news so much as it is to drive the news,” Weiss wrote in a note obtained by The New York Times.
She didn’t stop there. Weiss seemingly instructed the staff to prioritize "social media thirst" over journalistic substance, demanding, “Let’s make sure every single night has something with viral potential.” She added that the network needed to “be the news.”
Prioritizing Performance Over Journalism This strategy—putting "viral moments" ahead of the actual news—has already yielded embarrassing results. By focusing on "driving the news" rather than reporting it, the network has turned itself into the story, and not in a good way.
The chaos of chasing engagement led to significant stumbles right out of the gate.
Production Meltdowns: Because Weiss and her team were reportedly rewriting scripts until minutes before airtime—presumably to punch them up for maximum impact—Dokoupil’s debut was marred by teleprompter failures that left him struggling on live TV.
Tonal Whiplash: In an effort to inject "personality" and create those viral clips Weiss demanded, Dokoupil delivered a bizarre, ad-libbed salute to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, calling him the "ultimate Florida man." It was a segment that prioritized internet memes over serious reporting on a high-ranking government official.
From "Eye Network" to "BS News" The shift from a public service mindset to an engagement-farming mindset has already made the network a laughingstock. At the Golden Globes, host Nikki Glaser skewered the network’s new direction, calling CBS News “America’s newest place to see BS news.”
It raises a disturbing question about the state of modern media: How did we get to a point where the head of a major news division has no urge to give viewers the news they need, but is obsessed with manufacturing the viral clips she wants?
When the mandate is to "be the news" rather than report it, the viewers are the ones who lose.
