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<\/a><\/p>\nBari Weiss speaking in Los Angeles, Sept. 13, 2023. (Francine Orr\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The appointment came as Paramount Skydance, led by David Ellison, announced its $150 million purchase of The Free Press, the publication Weiss founded in 2022. Weiss will oversee both outlets as editor-in-chief, reporting directly to Ellison. The move marks a major shakeup for a legacy news division long associated with mainstream liberalism and a bet on Weiss\u2019s brand of provocative centrism.<\/p>\n
Ellison\u2019s involvement adds another layer of intrigue. The son of Larry Ellison, the Oracle founder known for his pro-Israel philanthropy, David has in recent months gained attention as his father helped spearhead a bid to acquire TikTok\u2019s U.S. operations. The forced sale, mandated by a new U.S. law aimed at separating the platform from its Chinese ownership, has drawn political scrutiny and elevated the Ellisons\u2019 influence at the intersection of media, tech, and geopolitics.<\/p>\n
For Jewish observers, Weiss\u2019s trajectory carries special resonance. Her public identity has long intertwined with Jewish causes, Israel advocacy and debates over antisemitism and free speech. Under her leadership, The Free Press has become a prominent voice on the American Jewish experience, particularly its coverage and commentary supporting Israel and condemning rising anti-Israel activism after Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.<\/p>\n
Born in Pittsburgh and educated at Columbia University, Weiss first emerged as a student activist in the early 2000s when she campaigned against professors she accused of anti-Israel bias, a battle that foreshadowed later campus wars over Zionism and academic freedom. A film she co-produced called \u201cColumbia Unbecoming\u201d documents her account. <\/p>\n
Raised in a Reform Jewish household in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, her connection to the community became national news with the 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue, the congregation where she had her bat mitzvah. The massacre, she wrote, was an \u201calarm bell\u201d that shook her out of a \u201choliday from history.\u201d She channeled the tragedy into a book, \u201cHow to Fight Anti-Semitism,\u201d in 2019. <\/p>\n
Now 41, Weiss has positioned herself as a defender of open inquiry within liberal institutions and a critic of what she saw as left-wing intolerance. She rose through the editorial ranks at The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, where she became known for her critiques of \u201ccancel culture.\u201d Her 2020 resignation letter from the Times, alleging bullying and ideological conformity, went viral and turned her into a hero for many self-described centrists.<\/p>\n
When she launched The Free Press, Weiss promised to create a home for \u201cfree thought and fearless reporting.\u201d The site quickly grew into a digital media powerhouse, attracting major investors and millions of readers, but also attracting criticism from those who say Weiss\u2019s project is a polished rebranding of right-wing media.<\/p>\n
Now she will have the chance to bring her brand of journalism to a much broader audience, as the top editor overseeing coverage at a legacy news organization whose properties include \u201c60 Minutes\u201d and \u201cSunday Morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs proud as we are of the 1.5 million subscribers who have joined under the banner of The Free Press \u2014 and we are astonished at that number \u2014 this is a country with 340 million people. We want our work to reach more of them, as quickly as possible,\u201d Weiss wrote in a letter to readers on Monday. \u201cThis once-in-a-lifetime opportunity allows us to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n