Cronkite-era producer exits CBS News in dramatic fashion after 46 years at network
Veteran CBS News producer Mary Walsh exited the network in dramatic fashion on Friday, suggesting the organization has been told to aim reporting at a particular political party.
Walsh’s exit comes as an onslaught of changes has occurred at the direction of CBS News under polarizing editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. Many liberals feel Weiss is attempting to rid the network of its lefty slant, and CBS News has faced a headcount reduction since she took control.
"We’ve been reading a lot of goodbyes lately and here I am headed out the door. It’s too soon, even after 46 years," Walsh wrote in a memo to CBS News staffers, according to The Guardian.
CBS NEWS LEADERSHIP 'BLINDSIDED' BY ANDERSON COOPER'S EXIT: REPORT
"But maybe it’s for the best. We’ve been told to aim our reporting at a particular part of the political spectrum," she continued. "Honestly, I don’t know how to do that."
Walsh, who has worked at CBS News since 1979, began her career during legendary anchor Walter Cronkite’s iconic run at the network.
Walsh is considered "an institution" and an "icon" at the network, according to a CBS insider. This insider noted that, whether or not staffers were truly told to focus on a particular political party, the fact that people of Walsh’s character feel that way proves there is a significant issue at hand.
"It’s on management to disabuse them of that notion," the insider told Fox News Digital.
CBS News did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Walsh declined comment when reached by Fox News Digital.
Earlier this month, "CBS Evening News" producer Alicia Hastey quit in similar fashion.
"[T]here has been a sweeping new vision prioritizing a break from traditional broadcast norms to embrace what has been described as ‘heterodox’ journalism," Hastey wrote in a memo posted on X by New York Times reporter Ben Mullin.
"The truth is that commitment to those people and the stories they have to sell is increasingly becoming impossible," Hastey continued. "Stories may instead be evaluated not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations — a dynamic that pressures producers and reporters to self-censor or avoid challenging narratives that might trigger backlash or unfavorable headlines."
Weiss, who was handpicked by CEO David Ellison, was formally named editor-in-chief of CBS News in October after her outlet, The Free Press, was acquired by Paramount. The move drew both internal and external criticism, with some citing her opinion background and lack of television experience.
Weiss recently told staffers they are "not producing a product that enough people want" by focusing on linear television during an all-hands town hall event in which she laid out her vision for the network.
Weiss also frustrated "60 Minutes" staffers by delaying a report on the notorious El Salvador prison CECOT and has been accused by liberals of carrying water for President Donald Trump's administration. However, others have embraced her attempt to rid CBS News of its liberal slant.
CBS has faced criticism from the Trump administration over some of its reporting, including a recent report about the number of illegal immigrants with violent criminal records.
CNN could soon face similar challenges, as Netflix dropped its bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery on Thursday after the company announced Paramount's latest bid to buy all of its assets, including CNN, was "superior." The sale to Paramount would put Ellison in charge of CNN, in addition to CBS News.