John Dickerson's CBS News Exit Pulls Back The Curtain On Rumored Toxicity

Venerated news anchor John Dickerson announced on October 27 that he was leaving CBS News, a possible indicator that the network is becoming more right-leaning. The "Face the Nation" host addressed his departure from the network he worked at for 16 years in an Instagram post. "I am extremely grateful for all that CBS gave me — the work, the audience's attention and the honor of being a part of the network's history," he wrote alongside a photo carousel recapping some of the highlights throughout his career. Some fans believed the real reason Dickerson left CBS News was because he had "too much moral character" to stick around.

Months earlier, Dickerson caused a stir when he openly questioned the network's decision to settle a lawsuit with Donald Trump. In July, CBS's parent company, Paramount Global, agreed to a $16 million settlement with Trump, who was suing the company over an interview it aired on "60 Minutes" with Kamala Harris. Many believed that payment to Trump was a bribe of sorts. During a segment on "CBS Evening News," Dickerson lambasted the network's choice. "Reporters try to find order in chaos," Dickerson said at the opening of his monologue. "We pride ourselves on our B.S. detector, so it ought to work on ourselves, too. When it doesn't, the stakes are real: a loss of public trust, the spread of misinformation," he added. "Can you hold power to account after paying it millions? Can an audience trust you when it thinks you've traded away that trust?" he continued. A few months later, he left the network, which was under a new regime. Similarly, Stephen Colbert's CBS show was canceled after he criticized the lawsuit settlement. 

Following Dickerson's departure, there were rumors that one of Fox News' richest news anchors could be his replacement.

A major culture shift was signaled at CBS when David Ellison, the son of billionaire Larry Ellison — who is a known ally of Donald Trump — was named the CEO of the network's freshly merged parent company, Paramount Skydance. One of David's first major moves was bringing over centrist-right political writer Bari Weiss to be editor-in-chief of CBS. Weiss is known for being "anti woke," and her The Free Press news organization was bought up by Paramount Skydance for around $150 million. An unnamed CBS reporter described David's relationship with Weiss to The Independent. "He's essentially going to hand the keys to the kingdom to Bari Weiss and to anyone and everyone who is an ideologue that supports his and his father's world," they told the outlet on October 3, mere weeks before John Dickerson left the network.

There were other red flags surrounding Dickerson's CBS exit. On October 23, Status News reported that Weiss wanted to poach Bret Baier from Fox News. However, even with reports circulating that he was possibly going to replace Dickerson, Baier said he intended to stay put. "I'm flattered by all the press and everything like that, but I'm in a multi-year contract with Fox," he said on Meghan McCain's "Citizen McCain" podcast on October 27.

Despite Fox News anchors' history of on-air blunders, a lot of people seem convinced that Weiss has her eye on its top talent. When Gayle King flaunted her new friendship with Fox News' Jesse Watters, there was even speculation online that she was trying to save her "CBS Mornings" gig with the "anti-woke" move. Whoever she decides to hire, it's clear that Weiss has designs to majorly shake up CBS News.