CBS News producer says network has ‘shifting’ ideological expectations

A CBS Night Information producer abruptly resigned Wednesday, accusing the community of a “shifting set of ideological expectations” in a publish that went viral on social media.

Alicia Hastey, who has labored at CBS Information since 2021, mentioned her LinkedIn profileadvised colleagues she had accepted a buyout supply and was leaving the community. In her farewell letter, Hastey emphasised that she is happy with the work she did over the previous 4 years earlier than specializing in the management of CBS Information underneath polarizing editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.

“[T]There’s a sweeping new imaginative and prescient that prioritizes a break from conventional broadcast norms and the embrace of what has been described as ‘heterodox’ journalism,” Hastey wrote in a memo on X by New York Occasions reporter Ben Mullin.

“The reality is that dedication to these individuals and the tales they should promote is turning into more and more unimaginable,” Hastey continued. “Tales might as a substitute be judged not solely on their journalistic deserves, but in addition on whether or not they meet a altering set of ideological expectations — a dynamic that places stress on producers and reporters to self-censor or keep away from difficult tales that would result in backlash or unfavorable headlines.”

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CBS Information has undergone a number of modifications in latest months. (Getty Photos)

Hastey mentioned none of her feedback denigrate the “expertise of all of the journalists who stay at CBS Information,” however added, “that is precisely what makes this second so heartbreaking.”

“The excellence we search to maintain is hampered by concern and uncertainty,” she wrote.

Hastey then quoted CBS Information legend Walter Cronkite, who appeared to reply to accusations of liberal bias on the community.

“Walter Cronkite, responding to critics, as soon as mentioned, ‘If that is what makes us liberals, then so be it, so long as we adhere to the primary beliefs of fine journalism in reporting the information — that information stories must be truthful, correct and unbiased,’” Hastey wrote.

“Cronkite’s thought is likely one of the greatest I’ve come throughout. He understood that labels are inevitable, however requirements matter,” she continued. “What defines journalism will not be what critics name it, however whether or not it stays true to these ideas.”

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CBS Information Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss laid out her plans for the group throughout an all-hands city corridor occasion final month. (Leigh Vogel/Getty Photos for Uber, X and The Free Press)

A CBS Information insider dismissed Hastey’s considerations.

“There are all the time workers modifications when there’s a new anchor and a brand new editorial imaginative and prescient,” the insider advised Fox Information Digital.

The suicide observe was roasted on social media by each members of the media trade and conservative critics of the mainstream press. Many took challenge with Mullin calling the memo a “bombshell” when he posted it to X.

“NYT reporter reveals ‘bombshell’: Disgruntled mid-level worker resigns after new boss calls for modifications,” snapped Wall Road Journal columnist Gerard Baker.

Political strategist Tim Cameron added: “If you wish to perceive how ‘CBS Night Information’ fell to final place in its class after years of decline,[ing] rankings, then learn this unhinged farewell observe from the producer.”

Curtis Houck, editor-in-chief of NewsBusters, wrote that it’s “insane that these individuals are portray the CBS Night Information as whether it is MAGA Media,” a story that has crept into the minds of many left-wing media reporters.

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Alicia Hastey reportedly quoted CBS Information legend Walter Cronkite in her farewell memo. (Picture by Ben Martin/Getty Photos)

CBS Information didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. Hastey didn’t reply to a direct message requesting further remark.

Many others took to social media with ideas on the memo:

Mullin declined remark when requested concerning the framing of his publish that was criticized.

Weiss, handpicked by CEO David Ellison, was formally named editor-in-chief of CBS Information in October after her outlet, The Free Press, was acquired by Paramount. The transfer attracted each inner and exterior criticism, with some citing her opinion background and lack of tv expertise.

Weiss rapidly put her stamp on the community, naming Tony Dokoupil as the brand new host of “CBS Night Information,” the present Hastey is reportedly quitting. Weiss just lately advised workers that they’re “not producing a product that sufficient individuals need” by specializing in linear tv throughout a city corridor occasion outlining her imaginative and prescient for the community.

She has annoyed “60 Minutes” staffers by delaying a report on El Salvador’s infamous CECOT jail and has been accused by liberals of ferrying water for President Donald Trump’s administration. Others, nonetheless, have embraced her try and rid CBS Information of its liberal slant.

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CBS has confronted criticism from the Trump administration for a few of its reporting, together with a latest report on the variety of unlawful immigrants with violent prison data.