CBS News producer resigns amid culture of ‘fear and uncertainty’

A “CBS Evening News” producer sent a fiery goodbye note to colleagues this week, citing a “shifting set of ideological expectations” as the reason for her departure. She’s the latest CBS News staffer to exit after Bari Weiss became editor-in-chief last fall.

The producer, Alicia Hastey, wrote in her note that a “sweeping new vision” at CBS News is making it increasingly “impossible” to report the stories she wants to tell.

“Stories may instead be evaluated not 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,” Hastey said in the note, which was obtained by The New York Times on Wednesday.

She praised her colleagues’ talent and thoughtful work. “That is precisely what makes this moment so heartbreaking: the very excellence we seek to sustain is hindered by fear and uncertainty,” Hastey said.

CBS News and Hastey did not immediately respond to MS NOW’s request for comment.

A cascade of CBS News journalists have quit or reportedly taken buyouts after David Ellison — the Trump-friendly CEO of the network’s parent company, Paramount Skydance — handpicked right-leaning Weiss to serve as editor-in-chief.

Ellison’s influence on the network and Weiss’ control over its programming have raised concerns about objectivity. The Trump administration green-lit the Ellison family’s acquisition of Paramount Global last year after the network agreed to shell out $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald Trump over a CBS News “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris as she mounted a liDemocratic bid for the White House. Trump sought $20 billion in damages over claims that the Harris interview, which aired during the 2024 presidential race, had been deceptively edited.

With Ellison at the helm, Paramount acquired Weiss’ media company, The Free Press, and put her in the top editorial position at CBS News.

Not long into her tenure, Weiss pulled a planned “60 Minutes” segment on an investigation of allegations of abuse inside an El Salvador megaprison that has received hundreds of Venezuelan migrants from the Trump administration since March 2025.

The decision ignited ethical concerns from viewers and journalists alike. Sharyn Alfonsi, the correspondent who reported the story, said in an email to her CBS colleagues at the time that she believed it was “not an editorial decision” but “a political one.”