The Free Press

The Free Press started as a Substack newsletter called Common Sense in early 2021. Bari Weiss, a former New York Times opinion editor, and her wife Nellie Bowles, a former Times tech reporter, launched it with a simple pitch: cover stories the legacy media ignored or got wrong. Within a year, the newsletter had grown so fast that Weiss and Bowles spun it off into its own company, raised $15 million from investors including Peter Thiel's 1517 Fund, and rebranded as The Free Press.

The outlet quickly built a loyal audience by publishing long-form features, cultural criticism, and the podcast Honestly with Bari Weiss. Its 2023 documentary series The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling became a breakout hit, drawing millions of listeners and sparking intense debate about free speech and gender identity. By early 2025, The Free Press had over 200,000 paid subscribers and a staff of about 45 people.

In October 2025, Paramount Skydance acquired the company for $150 million. The Free Press now operates as an independent editorial unit within CBS News, with a three-year guarantee of editorial independence. Weiss remains CEO and Editor-in-Chief. The company plans to launch a daily TV show on CBS News streaming in early 2026.[edit]