CBS News eliminated approximately 60 positions on Friday as editor-in-chief Bari Weiss accelerates her transformation of the legacy network, marking the most significant test of her leadership since taking control of the newsroom.
Weiss Drives Network Restructuring
The network cut six percent of its workforce, affecting close to 60 employees, according to sources familiar with the situation. This round of reductions proved smaller than initially anticipated, with earlier reports suggesting cuts could reach 15 percent. Numerous staffers accepted voluntary buyout offers in the weeks before Friday’s layoffs, reducing the number of forced departures. Network insiders confirm Weiss personally orchestrated these cuts, distinguishing them from earlier reductions overseen primarily by CBS News president Tom Cibrowski.
CBS News lays off 6% of staff and announces CBS News Radio is shutting down after nearly 100 years on air, kickstarting a Bari Weiss-led overhaul. -CNN
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 20, 2026
Weiss and Cibrowski informed employees through an internal memo that layoffs were underway, with affected workers receiving notification by day’s end. The executives acknowledged the personal impact, stating these were not simply names on a list but talented colleagues critical to the network’s success. They promised departing staff would be treated with care and respect during the transition. The memo arrived during what leadership described as an exceptionally intense news cycle, adding pressure to an already difficult situation.
Industry Transformation Drives Changes
Network leadership framed the workforce reduction as necessary adaptation to radical changes sweeping the news industry. The executives pointed to emerging audiences in new platforms as driving forces behind the restructuring. They explained that certain newsroom divisions must shrink to create resources for building capabilities needed to maintain competitiveness. The cuts reflect broader challenges facing traditional broadcast news operations as viewership patterns shift toward digital and streaming platforms.
Weiss Consolidates Control Under New Ownership
The layoffs demonstrate Weiss’s expanding influence over CBS News operations under owner David Ellison. In January, network management offered employees voluntary buyout packages ahead of the planned workforce reductions. Weiss previously selected Tony Dokoupil to anchor the nightly broadcast, replacing co-anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois who failed to reach four million viewers during their brief tenure. These personnel decisions signal Weiss’s determination to reshape the network’s on-air presence and editorial direction according to her vision for competing in the evolving media landscape.