Former CBS anchor Dan Rather, fired in 2006 for using forged documents to attack then-President George W. Bush, blasted his old network’s leadership this week, calling CBS’s new direction “a dark day.” The controversy, dubbed the Dan Rather Meltdown, erupted after CBS named Bari Weiss its new editor in chief and completed its merger with Skydance under parent company Paramount.
Rather wrote on Substack that CBS is “no longer independent” and accused the network of bowing “to the Trump administration to secure federal approval for the merger.” He labeled Weiss “one of the most polarizing figures in today’s American media landscape,” and claimed she gives “the fictitious illusion of fair and balanced coverage.” Rather criticized Weiss for being “unabashedly anti-woke, anti-DEI and pro-Israel.”
CBS ousted Rather nearly two decades ago for airing a fabricated 2004 report that used fake documents to question Bush’s National Guard service. The network retracted the story and later apologized. Now, under the merged Paramount Skydance leadership, CBS executives have pledged to restore credibility. CEO David Ellison told FCC chairman Brendan Carr that he is committed to “unbiased journalism” and wants CBS to reflect “the varied ideological perspectives of American viewers.”
To reinforce that mission, Paramount recently appointed Kenneth Weinstein, a former Hudson Institute president, as CBS ombudsman to investigate bias complaints. Still, CBS insiders reportedly reacted to Weiss’s hiring with fury. “A throwing up emoji is not enough of a reflection of the feelings in here,” one staffer told The Guardian.
