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CBS News is under scrutiny after its Race & Culture Unit was dissolved as part of major layoffs by parent company Paramount Global, drawing sharp criticism from former employees who allege that producers of color were disproportionately affected.
Paramount began cutting about 1,000 US-based jobs last week, with plans to eliminate another 1,000 roles in the coming months. The 2,000 total layoffs represent roughly 10% of its global workforce. In a memo to staff, CEO David Ellison said the restructuring was intended to remove overlapping positions and “phase out roles that are no longer aligned with our evolving priorities.”
Among those impacted were 100 CBS News staff, including eight on-air correspondents (all women), half of whom were people of color, according to The Independent. The network’s streaming editions of CBS Mornings and CBS Evening News were also shuttered, along with its Johannesburg bureau and the Race & Culture Unit, which was created in 2020 following the killing of George Floyd.
Accusations of discrimination at CBS News
Former CBS associate producer Trey Sherman posted a viral video accusing the company of “race-based layoffs”. “Every producer from my team who was laid off is a person of color,” Sherman said, adding that white colleagues were reassigned while people of color were dismissed.
Sherman said he was told by a CBS executive that those who remained were people the executive had “worked with before,” which he called “racist,” arguing that even without intent, such outcomes amount to racial discrimination.
The controversy deepened when reports surfaced that a male correspondent initially slated for layoff successfully appealed to new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, resulting in a female colleague being cut instead.
DEI retrenchment and new leadership
The changes follow a broader industry pullback from diversity initiatives. NBC recently reduced staff across its diversity platforms, including NBC BLK, NBC Asian America, NBC OUT, and NBC Latino. Those outlets will now be managed by just two senior editors, according to The Wrap.
Paramount’s restructuring followed the company’s merger with Skydance Media, approved by the Federal Communications Commission in July after agreeing to end formal DEI programs. Ellison, who formally took over as Paramount chairman in August, appointed Weiss, known for her opposition to DEI, as editor-in-chief of CBS News. Weiss previously wrote, “It is time to end DEI for good.”
Paramount faces additional legal action
The layoffs coincide with a discrimination lawsuit filed by former Entertainment Tonight attorney Joseph E. Jerome. In the complaint, Jerome alleges that he and others were replaced by younger, less experienced employees “of other races.” The 58-year-old, who worked for Paramount for about 30 years, claims his dismissal was motivated by both age and race bias.
The lawsuit alleges that during a 2023 meeting, leaders urged staff to improve show demographics by hiring “15 younger staff members” and that executive compensation was tied to meeting DEI targets. Jerome says he was replaced by a 25-year-old Black law school graduate.
The allegations come amid a broader retreat from corporate diversity programs following federal actions targeting DEI efforts.
