The Endless Hypocrisy of Bari Weiss
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/ March 4, 2026
The Endless Hypocrisy of Bari Weiss
She claims to be a free speech champion. But as her actions at CBS News keep showing, she seems to think free speech should run only in a rightward direction.
Grace Byron
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Bari Weiss during her interview with Erika Kirk on December 13, 2025.
(CBS News)
Last Friday, Bari Weiss—former New York Times columnist, founder of the website The Free Press, and now, improbably, editor in chief of CBS News—was due to deliver a lecture at UCLA on “the future of journalism.” Weiss is one of the most controversial and polarizing figures in media today, alternately praised as a pro-Israel, anti-woke crusader and attacked for her obvious right-wing tendencies. Many wonder if she’s just a MAGA shill, demonstrating a new way to control the airwaves.
While Weiss claims to be improving “free speech” in the news, she’s also clearly moving CBS in a more conservative direction—whether by delaying a critical 60 Minutes story about the infamous El Salvadoran prison where the Trump administration sends many deportees; commandeering the airwaves for a fawning interview with Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika; changing the CBS style guide to replace the term “assigned sex at birth” with “biological sex at birth” when referring to trans people; or turning the network over to an infinite string of pro-war propagandists in the wake of the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Given all of this, there was considerable interest in what Weiss would say at UCLA—including from me. I had purchased a ticket to the event and was ready to witness the Weiss experience for myself. But—for better or worse—it wasn’t meant to be.
About a week before the event was set to take place, Weiss canceled (or at the very least, postponed) her appearance, citing “security concerns.” It wasn’t clear what those concerns were, though nearly 11,000 people had signed a petition opposing the lecture. University of California president James B. Milliken released a statement affirming his support for Weiss and “free expression on our campuses,” a seemingly coded reference to the platforming of her right-wing agenda. So far, the university has not publicly announced a rescheduled or virtual date, though some seem to think the event may ultimately go forward.
Though Weiss has been uncharacteristically silent about the cancellation, it seems safe to say that she relishes another opportunity to present herself as a martyr for free speech. But Weiss’s history reveals a fundamental tension between the values she claims to possess and the actions she inevitably takes.
As Nation columnist David Klion wrote in The Guardian, “Weiss …
The headline tells the story.
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The Endless Hypocrisy of Bari Weiss
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Current Issue
Society
/ March 4, 2026
The Endless Hypocrisy of Bari Weiss
She claims to be a free speech champion. But as her actions at CBS News keep showing, she seems to think free speech should run only in a rightward direction.
Grace Byron
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
Bari Weiss during her interview with Erika Kirk on December 13, 2025.
(CBS News)
Last Friday, Bari Weiss—former New York Times columnist, founder of the website The Free Press, and now, improbably, editor in chief of CBS News—was due to deliver a lecture at UCLA on “the future of journalism.” Weiss is one of the most controversial and polarizing figures in media today, alternately praised as a pro-Israel, anti-woke crusader and attacked for her obvious right-wing tendencies. Many wonder if she’s just a MAGA shill, demonstrating a new way to control the airwaves.
While Weiss claims to be improving “free speech” in the news, she’s also clearly moving CBS in a more conservative direction—whether by delaying a critical 60 Minutes story about the infamous El Salvadoran prison where the Trump administration sends many deportees; commandeering the airwaves for a fawning interview with Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika; changing the CBS style guide to replace the term “assigned sex at birth” with “biological sex at birth” when referring to trans people; or turning the network over to an infinite string of pro-war propagandists in the wake of the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Given all of this, there was considerable interest in what Weiss would say at UCLA—including from me. I had purchased a ticket to the event and was ready to witness the Weiss experience for myself. But—for better or worse—it wasn’t meant to be.
About a week before the event was set to take place, Weiss canceled (or at the very least, postponed) her appearance, citing “security concerns.” It wasn’t clear what those concerns were, though nearly 11,000 people had signed a petition opposing the lecture. University of California president James B. Milliken released a statement affirming his support for Weiss and “free expression on our campuses,” a seemingly coded reference to the platforming of her right-wing agenda. So far, the university has not publicly announced a rescheduled or virtual date, though some seem to think the event may ultimately go forward.
Though Weiss has been uncharacteristically silent about the cancellation, it seems safe to say that she relishes another opportunity to present herself as a martyr for free speech. But Weiss’s history reveals a fundamental tension between the values she claims to possess and the actions she inevitably takes.
As Nation columnist David Klion wrote in The Guardian, “Weiss …
The Endless Hypocrisy of Bari Weiss
The headline tells the story.
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The Endless Hypocrisy of Bari Weiss
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Magazine
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Politics
World
Economy
Culture
Books & the Arts
The Nation
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Current Issue
Society
/ March 4, 2026
The Endless Hypocrisy of Bari Weiss
She claims to be a free speech champion. But as her actions at CBS News keep showing, she seems to think free speech should run only in a rightward direction.
Grace Byron
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
Bari Weiss during her interview with Erika Kirk on December 13, 2025.
(CBS News)
Last Friday, Bari Weiss—former New York Times columnist, founder of the website The Free Press, and now, improbably, editor in chief of CBS News—was due to deliver a lecture at UCLA on “the future of journalism.” Weiss is one of the most controversial and polarizing figures in media today, alternately praised as a pro-Israel, anti-woke crusader and attacked for her obvious right-wing tendencies. Many wonder if she’s just a MAGA shill, demonstrating a new way to control the airwaves.
While Weiss claims to be improving “free speech” in the news, she’s also clearly moving CBS in a more conservative direction—whether by delaying a critical 60 Minutes story about the infamous El Salvadoran prison where the Trump administration sends many deportees; commandeering the airwaves for a fawning interview with Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika; changing the CBS style guide to replace the term “assigned sex at birth” with “biological sex at birth” when referring to trans people; or turning the network over to an infinite string of pro-war propagandists in the wake of the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Given all of this, there was considerable interest in what Weiss would say at UCLA—including from me. I had purchased a ticket to the event and was ready to witness the Weiss experience for myself. But—for better or worse—it wasn’t meant to be.
About a week before the event was set to take place, Weiss canceled (or at the very least, postponed) her appearance, citing “security concerns.” It wasn’t clear what those concerns were, though nearly 11,000 people had signed a petition opposing the lecture. University of California president James B. Milliken released a statement affirming his support for Weiss and “free expression on our campuses,” a seemingly coded reference to the platforming of her right-wing agenda. So far, the university has not publicly announced a rescheduled or virtual date, though some seem to think the event may ultimately go forward.
Though Weiss has been uncharacteristically silent about the cancellation, it seems safe to say that she relishes another opportunity to present herself as a martyr for free speech. But Weiss’s history reveals a fundamental tension between the values she claims to possess and the actions she inevitably takes.
As Nation columnist David Klion wrote in The Guardian, “Weiss …
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