Legal-affairs journalist Paula Reid is expected to take up new duties at MS NOW, according to a person familiar with the matter, leaving behind a top job at CNN in part due to the uncertainty of its future as its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, is acquired by Paramount Skydance.
Reid turned down a chance to renew her current contract at CNN, according to two people familiar with the situation, in part because CNN’s next era appears chaotic. Paramount has made some indications that it sees Bari Weiss, the editor in chief of CBS News who has generated several public controversies, as the next steward of CNN. MS NOW, meanwhile, has put a stronger emphasis on harder news and enterprise journalism under its president, Rebecca Kutler.
“As a general matter of practice, we don’t comment on personnel matters,” says a spokesman for MS NOW. “As everyone in Washington knows, Paula Reid is an exceptional reporter, and any news organization would be fortunate to showcase her journalism.”
A representative for Reid declined to comment. CNN declined to comment on Reid’s departure.
Journalists at CNN have eyed the prospect of Weiss coming aboard with intense wariness. The former opinion journalist has displayed an antipathy for the strictures of the traditional TV business even as she seeks to put CBS News more in the digital-media spotlight. But her seeming dismissal of normal TV business practices has resulted in an undermining of CBS News’ flagship property, “60 Minutes,” and the ouster of many of its top personnel even as the show faces production deadlines to launch its next season in the fall. Two other top CBS News properties, “CBS Evening News” and “CBS Mornings,” have faced new ratings erosion during her aegis.
Executives at Paramount have made little secret of their affinity for President Donald Trump, believing a close relationship with the nation’s Commander in Chief will help the company’s proposed acquisition of Warner proceed with great speed. Paramount has secured approval from the U.S. Department of Justice, but faces the prospect of further scrutiny from the British government, as well as possible legal challenges from state attorneys general.
Paramount’s stance could spur a talent exodus, one industry analyst suggests. Kowtowing to Trump will force some media operators to “force their talent to comply with the wishes of those in power and some view bending the knee as simply the cost of doing business. Talent will likely migrate to the former and from the latter,” New Street Research analyst Blair Levin said in a Wednesday research note. “In this case, it will mean a migration away” from Paramount, he added.
Ever since she joined CNN in 2021 following a stint at CBS News, Reid has been one to watch. She has been highly visible on the network, covering matters tied to the Supreme Court with increasing frequency, but also federal and state investigations into high-ranking officials, including President Biden and President Trump. Reid was part of a team that broke the news that Trump had been captured on audio tape discussing a classified document he kept after leaving his first term at White House. She has also been spotted working as a substitute anchor for various personnel, particularly on weekends.
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