CBS News anchor Gayle King recently addressed internal leaks within the network during a heated meeting, coinciding with Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss’s stern advice to employees to leave if they disagree with her management style.
King, who has been with the network for 15 years, took a firm stand at the meeting on Tuesday, criticizing staff members who have been leaking confidential information to the public.
“I also want to address the leakers in this building; I am so tired of it,” King stated according to an audio recording of the meeting obtained by The Washington Post.
She expressed skepticism about how quickly the details of the meeting might leak, adding, “I’ll be curious to see how long it takes for this to get out, because it’ll be someone in this room.”
The remark prompted a response from Bari Weiss, founder of Free Press, who quipped, “I’m sure someone’s live-streaming it right now, Gayle.”
As King’s contract nears its end in May, she faces a decision about whether to remain with CBS in a new role that would reportedly reduce her $13 million salary by half, as reported by The New York Post.
She took the opportunity to try to silence the buzz surrounding her future at the company.
‘I read the sh*t and I go, “I don’t even know where that’s coming from,”‘ King rambled.
CBS Mornings host Gayle King called out leakers during the Tuesday meeting
Bari Weiss has been a controversial pick as the Editor-in-Chief of CBS News
The CBS headquarters in New York City is pictured above
‘We’re right in the middle, we’ll see how it’s gonna work out,’ she added in a seeming reference to her contract negotiations, per the NY Post.
This dig at double agents comes shortly after leaked emails reviewed by The Guardian revealed ‘huge internal concern’ about a report on Jonathan Ross, the ICE officer who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis.
However, in a statement to The Guardian, CBS News said the piece ‘went through its rigorous editorial process and decided it was reportable based on the reporting, the reporters, and the sourcing.’
There have been countless other reports of internal drama – including when Weiss held back a ’60 Minutes’ segment on the Trump administration’s deportation of migrants to a notorious El Salvador prison.
At the Tuesday meeting, Weiss denied that the decision was made to appease Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, whose tech mogul father, Larry Ellison, is a known Trump ally.
She asserted that she only postponed the show because she believed it needed more reporting.
CBS News has become particularly divisive under Weiss’ direction, as she has been a vocal critic of mainstream media and has no prior broadcast experience.
Critics believe she may have a pro-Trump agenda, although she has pledged to uphold newsroom neutrality.
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison is the son of tech mogul Larry Ellison
‘We’re for the center. We’re for the center-right, and we’re for the center-left,’ she reportedly said during her presentation at the meeting.
She continued: ‘The honest truth is right now we are not producing a product that enough people want.
‘I am here to make CBS News fit for purpose in the 21st century.’
And she took a no-nonsense approach when addressing those who are not fans of her efforts.
‘If that’s not your bag, that’s okay,’ she said, per The Independent.
‘It’s a free country, and I completely respect if you decide I’m not the right leader for you or this isn’t the right place at the right time, there’s just too many exciting things to be spending your career doing.’
Weiss declared that the network has been far too focused on maintaining its current audience rather than expanding its reach to new viewers.
To tackle this issue, she announced several new contributors to the network. They come from a variety of backgrounds and political stances.
The roster also includes neurobiology expert Andrew Huberman – a popular name in the ‘manosphere’
Casey Lewis, a youth culture Substack writer, has been named as one of the network’s new contributors at the Tuesday meeting
Many of the individuals have bylines with the Free Press, which Weiss founded in 2021, and are regarded as divisive figures.
The roster includes neurobiology expert Andrew Huberman – a popular name in the ‘manosphere,’ according to The New York Times.
British-American historian Niall Ferguson and Substack publisher Casey Lewis, who examines youth culture, are also on the list.
Aside from lashing out at leakers, King vocalized support for Weiss’ proposals.
‘What I like, Bari, about what you outlined is that I don’t know anybody in this room that doesn’t want to make change for the better,’ she said, per the Washington Post.
‘I don’t know anybody that doesn’t want to kick it up a notch. And I just don’t want any of us to lose sight of who we are and the job that we do here. I’m so proud to work at this company.’
