CBS Evening News Staffers Are Walking

Alicia Hastey, Bari Weiss

At least 11 staffers—about a quarter of the roughly 40-person team—have accepted voluntary buyouts at CBS Evening News, sources confirmed Thursday, amid a major editorial overhaul under CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and new anchor Tony Dokoupil.

The departures, limited to non-unionized employees, follow buyout offers extended in late January to staff uneasy with the program's revamped direction. CBS News declined to comment.

The news surfaced one day after producer Alicia Hastey announced her exit in a sharply critical farewell note to colleagues. Hastey, who had worked at the network for four years, condemned the shift toward "heterodox" journalism, saying it sidelines underrepresented perspectives, challenging interviews, and responsive reporting for a skeptical public.

"The truth is that commitment to those people and the stories they have to tell is increasingly becoming impossible," she wrote. She added that stories are now judged "not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations"—a pressure she said encourages self-censorship to dodge backlash.

Weiss unveiled her vision for a "fit for purpose in the 21st century" CBS News during a January all-hands meeting, emphasizing differentiated content, streaming focus, and a values-based approach for Evening News under Dokoupil that stresses allegiance to America and broader audience reach beyond linear TV.

According to The NY Post, A CBS News insider described the turnover as typical with a new anchor and editorial direction. Dokoupil assumed the anchor role about a month ago, replacing previous co-anchors. His tenure has faced internal and external criticism for perceived friendly coverage of the Trump administration, including his presidential interview and segments on figures like Secretary of State Marco Rubio (e.g., a memes package) and the Jan. 6 anniversary.

His first week also saw the departure of No. 2 producer Javier Guzman, linked by one source to disagreements with executive producer Kim Harvey. Ratings have continued to lag behind ABC and NBC competitors.

The buyouts align with broader cost-cutting at Paramount (following its merger with David Ellison's Skydance), which included about 100 layoffs in October—such as canceling the streaming version of Evening News—and anticipates another roughly 1,000 cuts company-wide. Weiss, when asked about potential reductions at the January meeting, did not rule them out as part of the transformation.