CBS News’ chief of standards, Claudia Milne, told staffers on Thursday she would be leaving the storied news operation, the first executive exit from CBS’ news division since Bari Weiss was named its editor in chief and a conservative think tank veteran was appointed its ombudsman.
Milne’s memo did not mention Weiss, the Free Press co-founder who joined the newsroom last week upon Paramount’s acquisition of her “anti-woke” website. The exit marks a turning point for the news division as it navigates its era under Weiss’ leadership, and it comes two days after memos outlining staff’s work responsibilities were due to Weiss. It also allows Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski the opportunity to appoint someone more in line with their own sensibilities to manage the newsroom’s standards, as Milne predated both.
Milne, who joined the division in 2019 and has managed standards since 2021, reminisced in her memo about her father’s experience in the newsroom and how she’s worked to uphold his legacy. Her father, Stephen Milne, worked as a London-based editor for 30 years. “He never got to know that I came back to work at CBS,” she wrote. “I think he would have been proud (and maybe a bit surprised!)”
“It has been a privilege to work alongside all of you and hopefully sometimes help make your work a little better,” she added. “I have watched with awe and pride at the care and attention you all take to tell your stories, uphold the values of CBS News, and show the audience our world.
She continued: “We live in complicated times. For our company, for our industry and for our country. And it’s times like this that what we do matters most.”
“I encourage you all to keep asking those tough questions, challenge those in authority and keep informing the audience,” Milne wrote. “And I know that you will continue to do it in the fair, balanced and unbiased way that this organization always has and is the bedrock of good journalism.”
