11 CBS Evening News Staff Accept Buyouts Amid Changes

Eleven production staffers at CBS Evening News have accepted voluntary buyout offers, representing nearly a quarter of the program's roughly 40 nonunion employees, amid ongoing changes in the network's leadership and editorial direction.

The departures, confirmed by multiple sources familiar with the matter, follow buyout offers extended in late January to nonunion staff at the CBS News flagship broadcast. The move comes weeks after Bari Weiss, the network's editor-in-chief, outlined her vision for modernizing CBS News during an all-staff meeting on January 27. Weiss emphasized adapting to rapid industry shifts, stating that the media landscape had changed more in the past decade than in the previous 150 years and that further transformation was essential. She described the goal as making CBS News "fit for purpose in the 21st century," with a focus on streaming video, unique stories and presenting all sides of debates to rebuild viewer trust.

Among those leaving is producer Alicia Hastey, who joined CBS in 2021 after seven years at NBC News. In a farewell message to colleagues, shared publicly on social media, Hastey expressed pride in her contributions, including stories...