Bari Weiss, the editor-in-chief of CBS News, is actively recruiting British journalists to counter what she views as an overly 'woke' consensus in US media. This strategy comes amid ongoing internal and external opposition to her leadership at the network.
Hiring British talent
Earlier this month, Weiss hired Trevor Phillips, a prominent British broadcaster and former politician, as a senior global affairs correspondent. She also recruited Josh Boswell, an investigative reporter from the Daily Mail. Additionally, British conservative writer Douglas Murray now writes a weekly column for the Free Press, the outlet Weiss founded after leaving the New York Times in 2020.
Weiss has also met with Justin Webb, a presenter on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, though no specific position was discussed. Her senior executives have reached out to other UK journalists, according to sources. A CBS News spokesperson declined to comment on the hiring strategy.
Diversity of opinion
According to several figures familiar with Weiss's thinking, the hires are intentional. Andrew Neil, former editor of the Sunday Times, said: 'She’s been looking at various Brits that might add a bit of opinion/attitude diversity to US media, instead of the dominant, predictable Columbia Journalism School uniformity. Not a bad idea.'
A CBS News source described Weiss's interest in British journalists: 'They do the kind of things that Bari is looking for; it’s not puff pieces and kid gloves.'
Network of like-minded thinkers
Weiss has cultivated a network of UK thinkers who reject what she sees as a woke liberal consensus on issues like Israel and transgender rights. Last summer, she hosted a party at the Groucho Club in London, mingling with figures described as 'part of the heterodox world.'
Her close British associates include Douglas Murray, Neil Blair (J.K. Rowling's agent), and Oliver Wiseman, deputy editor of the Free Press and former Spectator journalist. The Free Press produced the podcast 'The Witch Trials of JK Rowling' in 2023. Former UK cabinet minister Michael Gove and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch are also among her acquaintances, as is libertarian podcaster Konstantin Kisin.
Cost considerations
One ally noted that British journalists are generally cheaper than their US counterparts, adding a practical motive to the ideological one.
Editorial direction
Phillips's appointment has raised questions about CBS News's editorial direction. He was previously suspended from the Labour Party over alleged Islamophobia and once commented that UK Muslims were 'a nation within a nation.' Webb, bound by BBC impartiality rules, faced a partially upheld complaint in 2024 for using the phrase 'trans women, in other words males.'
A CBS News staffer said: 'If her goal is to push CBS News to the right, including in global coverage, then these steps make sense, because in no other universe would they.'
