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John Dickerson, anchor and correspondent, to leave CBS News
He is a veteran anchor with a long family legacy at CBS, and his exit presages a series of changes expected at the broadcast news division.
Anchor John Dickerson said Monday that he would depart CBS News at the end of the year, the first sign of what is expected to be a major shake-up at the network under its new corporate owners.
Dickerson, a veteran political correspondent who joined CBS 16 years ago, was most recently a co-anchor of the flagship “CBS Evening News.”
“I am extremely grateful for all that CBS gave me — the work, the audience’s attention and the honor of being a part of the network’s history,” he wrote in a social media post. “I will miss you.”
The decision to leave CBS News was Dickerson’s alone, according to two people familiar with his thinking. But the people said he was cognizant that significant changes, including a revamp of the “Evening News,” were on the way at the news division, which is now under the editorial control of opinion journalist Bari Weiss.
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Weiss was appointed by Skydance, a Hollywood studio run by technology heir David Ellison that completed its absorption of Paramount in August. The deal was approved by federal regulators after Paramount paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump against the CBS program “60 Minutes,” which he accused of deceptively editing an interview with his presidential opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Weiss, a frequent critic of traditional news organizations, has pledged to restore CBS’ trust with viewers, and she signaled in her first weeks on the job that she wants a new direction for the news division.
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Weiss, in a recent meeting, asked members of the “60 Minutes” staff why the country thinks they are biased, and she has mused about the possibility of hiring Bret Baier, a Fox News anchor, for a potential anchor position at the “CBS Evening News,” according to a person familiar with her remarks. Baier is under contract at Fox through the end of 2028; the idea she may approach Baier was first reported by media newsletter Status.
“CBS Evening News,” which changed its format last year, has suffered from a sharp ratings decline and now badly lags its rivals at ABC and NBC. The program, which Dickerson co-anchors with Maurice DuBois, is expected to be reimagined in the months ahead.
Layoffs at Paramount Skydance are also expected to occur this week, with CBS News bracing for deep job cuts.
Dickerson, 57, has a long family legacy at CBS News.
His mother, Nancy Dickerson, was a broadcast journalist who, in 1960, became CBS’ first female correspondent. John Dickerson started his career as a print journalist at Time magazine and joined CBS News as a contributor in 2009. He has been its political director, moderator of “Face the Nation,” and a co-host of the morning show, and he moderated a pair of televised primary debates in the 2016 campaign.
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“John epitomizes the very best of journalism,” Tom Cibrowski, president of CBS News, said in a statement Monday.
Dickerson is also a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a co-host of Slate’s Political Gabfest podcast.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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