Report: Veteran CBS Reporter Quit After Network Refused to Obsess Over Jan. 6 Anniversary
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CBS News chief Bari Weiss is attempting to steer the network toward a more centrist stance, but her leadership has unsettled some reporters who lean left. The piece notes that Weiss was brought in to temper CBS News’s leftward drift but that her approach has irked at least one veteran correspondent. Justice Department correspondent Scott MacFarlane is reported to be leaving CBS News, with Status and other outlets describing his departure as the result of disillusionment with Weiss’s leadership and the network’s coverage decisions. macfarlane announced to colleagues that his work will soon no longer appear on CBS news and expressed a desire for greater independence and new opportunities in his next career phase. The report situates his departure within a broader wave of veteran reporters reportedly departing CBS News after Paramount’s merger with Skydance, suggesting a wider overhaul of the network’s tone, style, and lineup. While Weiss is not described as conservative, the article emphasizes that her changes are reshaping CBS News’s editorial direction and interpersonal dynamics.
It appears that Bari Weiss’ leadership style at CBS News is continuing to rankle some of the more ideologically slanted reporters at the network.
Weiss was brought in as editor in chief largely to steer CBS News more toward the middle, after it had drifted further and further to the left for years.
That mission doesn’t appear to be sitting well with one of Weiss’ soon-to-be former veteran reporters.
Reports of Justice Department correspondent Scott MacFarlane’s pending departure from CBS News first surfaced Monday, with Status (operated by former CNNer Oliver Darcy) breaking the story.
After the announcement was made to CBS News staffers first, MacFarlane sent his own memo to his peers outlining his decision to leave.
Upon confirming that his work “will soon no longer appear on CBS News,” MacFarlane added that, “I will always value the opportunity I had to work alongside the talented and committed professionals here. I’m proud to have had the words ‘CBS correspondent’ next to my name — always will be.”
But is he actually proud to have “CBS correspondent” on his work history?
According to Mediaite‘s transcripts of the Status report, the veteran reporter had allegedly grown “disillusioned” with Weiss’ leadership style — and there was apparently a tipping point in January.
Status’ Darcy reports: “Specifically, MacFarlane was appalled and disheartened by the way the ‘CBS Evening News’ marked the five-year anniversary of the January 6 insurrection.”
Drilling down, Darcy said that MacFarlane was “aghast” after CBS News dedicated all of 16 seconds to commemorate the event. He took special issue with the “both sides approach” that the 16-second segment adopted.
While MacFarlane didn’t broach any of Darcy’s reporting, he did confirm on social media that his time at CBS News was coming to an end and that he had sent a memo to his colleagues about it:
UPDATE: i just d this note with my colleagues:
“To my incredible colleagues at CBS: I want to personally let you know that my work will soon no longer appear on CBS News. This is my decision, and I appreciate the bosses at CBS for understanding it.
I will always value…— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) March 9, 2026
“This is my decision, and I appreciate the bosses at CBS for understanding it,” MacFarlane said on X.
He added, “For the next phase of my career, I look forward to some independence and finding new spaces to my work in line with my personal goals. I thank you all. The work will not stop, and I’ll always be a call away.”
Weiss’ ascent came after CBS News’ parent company, Paramount, merged with Skydance.
As The Hill pointed out, MacFarlane is just the latest in a line of veteran reporters who have bristled under Weiss and departed.
She is far from being a conservative voice, but since being appointed as head of CBS News, Weiss has instituted sweeping changes to the tone, tenor, and style of the embattled network.
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