| MATTHEW LYNCH,
EXECUTIVE EDITOR |
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It’s been a big week for Bari Weiss, who always seems to be having a big week, but even by that measure... The former Wall Street Journal and New York Times opinion editor, was on Monday named editor in chief of CBS News, reporting directly to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, who recently acquired Weiss’s upstart outlet, The Free Press, for a reported $150 million. That puts Weiss on top of one of network TV’s most prestigious institutions in a newly created role. As Aidan McLaughlin reports today, all eyes are now on Weiss’s stewardship of 60 Minutes, the jewel in the CBS crown, and the source of a punishing lawsuit last year from President Donald Trump. It’s all made for some anxious times at an already anxious workplace. Plus, there’s homework! As McLaughlin reports: “On Friday morning, Weiss sent an email to CBS staff requesting a ‘memo from each person across our news organization’ outlining ‘how you spend your working hours,’ as well as ‘your views on what’s working; what’s broken or substandard; and how we can be better.’” Enjoy the weekend, Tiffany Network staffers…
Elsewhere today, Amazon’s Melania doc gets a release date; Prince Harry squares off against AI; and we interview a staffer who experienced last weekend’s toughest corporate assignment: an AMC bartender working the Taylor Swift shift. More Monday… |
On Thursday, October 9, staffers in the Washington bureau of CBS News filed into a conference room for the organization’s 9 a.m. editorial call. The call started five minutes late, owing to the tardy arrival of a fresh face: She sat at the head of the table, next to DC bureau chief Mark Lima. The room was more packed than usual, filled with various producers, reporters, and anchors. “You could cut the tension with a knife,” said a source in the room.
The morning meeting is typically a broad review of coverage, but Bari Weiss was quick to dive into the minutiae of day-to-day programming. She “came in hot,” the source said, suggesting names to book on the air—including Mike Pompeo, Hillary Clinton, and Antony Blinken—and offering to reach out to people herself if they hadn’t been contacted already.
VF’s Aidan McLaughlin details the newly crowned editor in chief’s first week on the job. |
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The first lady is coming to a theater near you this January. |
The Spice Girl’s Netflix documentary explores what motivated Victoria to become a performer, how she stripped the “WAG” label imposed by the tabloid media, and what she did to earn respect in the cutthroat fashion industry. |
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Archewell Foundation is planning to focus more on protecting children from AI, taking aim at the companies that have brought products to the markets without instituting safeguards. |
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The Official Release Party of a Showgirl broke records—and workers’ patience—when Swifties descended for the three-day celebration at AMC Theatres. The theaters’ bartenders at the chain’s in-house MacGuffins Bar were given only two days to learn how to mix the three limited-edition cocktails the franchise created for the event—plus their respective mocktail counterparts. But no amount of prep work could prepare the bartenders for the madness that would soon descend on their counters.
VF’s Samantha Bergeson spoke with AMC workers about surviving the Swiftie hysteria. |
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