Bari Weiss, the Editor-in-Chief of CBS News, reportedly intervened to safeguard the jobs of pro-Israel foreign correspondents facing layoffs. In a surprising move, she instead terminated Deborah Pata, whose past reporting from Gaza had drawn criticism from U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee.
According to reports, Weiss told the Independent that he took direct action in the situation. In one instance, a male correspondent who had appealed to Weiss retained his position, while Pata was added to the layoff list just hours before the cuts were announced.
The Independent noted that this male correspondent had expressed concerns to Weiss, feeling that his support for Israel was impacting his reporting opportunities in Gaza, though he chose not to identify himself.
Weiss, who is known for his strong pro-Israel views, ultimately chose to target Pata for termination instead of the male correspondent. Pata, a veteran journalist at CBS News, is reportedly contemplating legal action following her dismissal, as first revealed by the Post.
This abrupt decision came during a wave of layoffs overseen by Weiss, marking the first significant staff cuts since his arrival. The layoffs affected eight on-air women from the network, including several women of color.
Pata, based in Johannesburg, had previously been assured she was safe from layoffs before finding her name on the list. Her firing has emerged in the context of Huckabee’s public disapproval of reporters allegedly misrepresenting his statements, particularly regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Huckabee claimed that CBS News producers had stripped essential context from his comments, making it seem as though he disregarded the famine in Gaza. He later shared a full transcript on the U.S. Embassy’s website, contesting the authenticity of widely circulated images of malnourished children, suggesting some were improperly attributed or manipulated.
Pata, aged 61, has denied any wrongdoing and was described by colleagues as “fearless and fair,” well-regarded for her adherence to verified facts while covering conflict zones, including Syria and Ukraine.
Before her dismissal, Pata had signed a new three-year contract, establishing herself as one of CBS’s most seasoned war correspondents.
Weiss recently joined CBS after selling his previous media venture to Paramount Skydance. He has not publicly addressed the layoffs, which reportedly impacted roughly 100 employees throughout the division.
CBS News has opted not to comment on the situation described by the Independent. An official previously stated that the layoffs would affect more than 100 employees across CBS News’ main programming, following the closure of its Johannesburg bureau and a shift of coverage operations to London.
Plans for these layoffs had been in development for several months; however, Weiss began his role just three weeks ago, with decisions already made prior to his arrival.
The network’s coverage of Israel has traditionally provoked sensitivity among current and former staff and executives. For instance, during a past segment, former “CBS Morning” co-host Tony Dokoupil faced reprimand after interviewing author Ta-Nehisi Coates about a book critical of Israel.
In January, “60 Minutes” aired comments from former State Department officials expressing concern regarding the U.S. involvement in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Meanwhile, Paramount’s former president, Shari Redstone, had indicated her belief that the network harbored anti-Israel bias.
