A CBS News producer has quit and shared a fiery memo that accused the Bari Weiss-led network of pressuring staff to “self-censor.”
Alicia Hastey’s scorched-earth exit came as The Post revealed on Tuesday that 11 “Evening News” staffers, the majority of them producers, took voluntary buyouts to leave the network.
“There 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 the memo, which a New York Times reporter posted on X late Wednesday.
Producer Alicia Hastey wrote a fiery memo about her exit from CBS. X/AliciaHastey“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,” the producer continued, though she did not mention editor in chief Weiss by name.
“The very excellence we seek to sustain is hindered by fear and uncertainty,” she added.
The Post has sought comment from Hastey. CBS News did not immediately answer a request for comment.
About a quarter of “CBS Evening News” staffers eligible for buyouts have chosen the option ahead of impending layoffs under Weiss, The Post reported earlier this week.
Last month, the network announced the “extraordinary chance” for eligible staffers to take a one-time voluntary buyout ahead of company-wide layoffs that could kick off as soon as March, according to a source.
The offer came after Weiss told employees in a January townhall that they were free to leave if they didn’t like her strategy for the struggling news division.
CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss laid out her strategy for the network, telling staffers they were free to leave if they didn’t agree with the mission. Getty Images for Uber, X and The Free Press“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,” she said.
At the townhall, which came as Weiss has sought to shake up the network, she said she wants to invest in more “revelatory journalism” and emphasize “investigative scoops” that will take advantage of both online and traditional platforms.
“We have to look honestly at ourselves. We are not producing a product that enough people want,” she said.
Staffers at Tony Dokoupil’s “CBS Evening News” were offered voluntary buyouts. Eleven staffers decided to take one, as previously reported by The Post. CBS NewsBut since joining CBS News in October, Weiss has garnered criticism inside and outside the network.
In December, “60 Minutes” correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi lambasted Weiss for what she called a “political decision” to shelve her segment on the infamous El Salvadoran prison where the Trump administration has sent migrants.
Weiss has also come under scrutiny for sticking by newly minted contributor Peter Attia after raunchy and problematic emails between him and pal Jeffrey Epstein surfaced. The documents were released as part of a document dump by the Department of Justice.
CBS News is expected to endure a round of layoffs as early as March, sources said. Getty ImagesThe emails revealed a chummy relationship with the late financier and sex trafficker, including one eyebrow-raising 2015 email in which Attia alluded to Epstein’s “outrageous” lifestyle.
Attia said on X earlier this month that he’s “ashamed” of his “tasteless and indefensible” correspondence with Epstein and said he was referring to his “excessive and exclusive” lifestyle.
Weiss’ other efforts to reinvigorate the network include replacing “Evening News” anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois with Tony Dokoupil.
