Power, Press, and Pride: What Bari Weiss’ Rise at CBS Means for Queer Media

When Paramount Skydance announced Bari Weiss as the new editor-in-chief of CBS News, the headlines were instant — and for many in queer and trans communities, deeply unsettling. Weiss, a self-described “Jewish lesbian from Pittsburgh,” has long styled herself as a champion of “free speech.” But her version of freedom often comes at the expense of trans lives and queer safety.

Over the years, Weiss has built a reputation as a contrarian voice against what she calls “cancel culture.” As an editor at The New York Times, she railed against movements for social justice, calling intersectionality a “caste system” and defending an op-ed that painted Black Lives Matter protesters as “rioters.” When she left the paper in 2020, conservatives like Ted Cruz and Donald Trump Jr. rushed to her defense.

Her next move was The Free Press — a $150 million purchase in the Paramount deal — which she marketed as a haven for “cancelled” thinkers. In practice, it’s given a platform to anti-trans voices like J.K. Rowling and the account Libs of TikTok, which has fueled harassment campaigns against drag performers and children’s hospitals. Through her podcast Honestly, Weiss continues to frame trans exclusionary ideologies as “debates,” rather than as attacks on people’s lives.

“I’m just asking questions,” she often says — but in today’s media climate, those questions carry weight, funding, and political power. With her new position, Weiss now controls one of the most storied newsrooms in American broadcast history, answering directly to Paramount’s CEO David Ellison, a known Trump ally.

For us at KET, Weiss’ appointment is a warning sign. Dialogue is important, but giving equal platform to voices that actively harm trans people isn’t balance — it’s bias. With someone like Weiss at the helm of CBS, there’s a real risk that trans rights will be treated as a “both sides” debate, rather than a matter of human dignity and survival.

And yet, this moment also offers clarity. Queer communities have always built our own media ecosystems — from zines and podcasts to community newsrooms like KET. When mainstream institutions shift right, we respond by telling our own truths louder, amplifying the stories and voices that too often get erased.

So while Weiss steps into global headlines, queer media across Brussels, Europe, and beyond are already writing the counter-narrative: one grounded in solidarity, joy, and refusal to be erased. Because power changes hands — but pride remains ours.