TMC
06-23-2026, 09:51 PM
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/business/media/cbs-news-ombudsman.html
Last year, under an agreement with the FCC (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/skydance-paramount-fcc-cbs-news-ombudsman-media-bias-1236326955/), CBS News tapped Kenneth R. Weinstein to serve as ombudsman, flagging complaints privately to its executives. Yet, The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin reports, “as CBS News has been shaken by infighting between management and its star correspondents this year, Mr. Weinstein’s silence is being criticized by media experts. They say Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, has essentially hired a watchdog who doesn’t bark. In the nine months since he was hired, Mr. Weinstein has issued no public statements about CBS News’s coverage or its controversies. He has not issued any guidance or feedback in staffwide emails or memos, three employees said. He has told some employees that he is scheduled to work only one day per month, two people said, though one said he responded to queries outside his monthly workday.” Paramount said in a statement that Weinstein had been doing his job. “He’s there to review concerns about CBS News’s reporting and coverage through a process that has been clear from the beginning,” the statement said. “Since September, he’s independently assessed the issues brought to him and, when appropriate, discussed them with CBS News and Paramount Skydance leadership.” After Weinstein flags potential problems to Paramount’s executives, they decide whether to raise them with CBS News.
Last year, under an agreement with the FCC (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/skydance-paramount-fcc-cbs-news-ombudsman-media-bias-1236326955/), CBS News tapped Kenneth R. Weinstein to serve as ombudsman, flagging complaints privately to its executives. Yet, The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin reports, “as CBS News has been shaken by infighting between management and its star correspondents this year, Mr. Weinstein’s silence is being criticized by media experts. They say Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, has essentially hired a watchdog who doesn’t bark. In the nine months since he was hired, Mr. Weinstein has issued no public statements about CBS News’s coverage or its controversies. He has not issued any guidance or feedback in staffwide emails or memos, three employees said. He has told some employees that he is scheduled to work only one day per month, two people said, though one said he responded to queries outside his monthly workday.” Paramount said in a statement that Weinstein had been doing his job. “He’s there to review concerns about CBS News’s reporting and coverage through a process that has been clear from the beginning,” the statement said. “Since September, he’s independently assessed the issues brought to him and, when appropriate, discussed them with CBS News and Paramount Skydance leadership.” After Weinstein flags potential problems to Paramount’s executives, they decide whether to raise them with CBS News.