Why Bari Weiss Failed
Storm clouds at CBS won't be chased away
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Despite the fact that I identify as a person of the left—the democratic socialist mayor of New York City was once my campaign manager—I’ve always maintained a grudging respect for Rupert Murdoch. It can be argued, genuinely, Murdoch’s Fox News has been venom for American democracy, and his British tabloids are not much better. The moral legacy of Murdoch is quite poor. But like with anything else in life, assessing Murdoch, now ninety-five, is not a straightforward endeavor. This villain had something to offer the world. Unlike Jeff Bezos, who has run the Washington Post into the gutter, Murdoch always understood media. He cared about newspapers, magazines, and television stations. One of the quirks of the twentieth century was that Murdoch, on the balance, was a solid steward of two decidedly left-wing media properties: New York Magazine and the Village Voice. He did, at various points, own both, and they were profitable, strong publications on his watch. He understood he couldn’t fully impose his reactionary politics on either. The same was not true of the New York Post, which he remade as a hard right tabloid after buying it when it was a liberal voice in local affairs. What he did do, however, was invest in the New York Post. He never let it rot. Even today, despite the havoc it might cause, it’s a useful newspaper, and anyone who wants a complete understanding of New York City needs to read it. A more encouraging Murdoch tale is the Wall Street Journal: it remains a robust, respectable, and ethical publication. Compare the health of the Journal in 2026 to the Washington Post; it’s night and day, with the former retaining its subscriber base and reputation.
The long wind-up with Murdoch is intended to put Bari Weiss, a mere forty-two, into perspective. Two realities can be true simultaneously: Weiss is a visionary who built The Free Press into a digital juggernaut and she’s a blatant failure at CBS News, a hapless media mogul who has committed the sort of unforced errors Murdoch always knew to avoid.
Weiss’ politics might be dubious—to me at least—but that isn’t why she’s failing. It all comes down to competence.
And it all begins with “60 Minutes.”
