CBS News’ Standards Chief Claudia Milne Exits

Claudia Milne, who has overseen standards and practices at CBS News since 2021, announced her departure from the Paramount Skydance unit Thursday morning, becoming the first senior executive to exit since the arrival of digital Bari Weiss as editor in chief and the naming of a former Trump adviser as an ombudsman placed the news division under intense scrutiny.

“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,” Milne said in a farewell note to colleagues. “I believe our role as journalists is to hold the powerful to account. We are here to question and challenge our political leaders on behalf of our audiences, Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative…we must interrogate the social media companies that want to control our attention, the businesses that manage our healthcare and the institutions that shape our education system… and So. Much. More.”

She added: “I encourage you all to keep asking those tough questions, challenge those in authority and keep informing the audience. 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.”

Her announcement comes as CBS News staffers have been put under a microscope following Paramount’s decision to put the direction of newsgathering under the aegis of Bari Weiss, a digital opinion entrepreneur whose company, The Free Press, has captured attention among conservatives and political-opinion aficionados, but who has no experience running a mainstream media organization. Weiss reports directly to David Ellison, Paramount’s new CEO, while the president of CBS News, Tom Cibrowski, has been tasked with helping her put initiatives into practice.

CBS News has endured months of chaos. Some of its shows, such as “60 Minutes” and “Face the Nation,” have been the subject of complaints from the Trump administration, and two different groups of Paramount managers have undermined those programs’ authority by paying a $16 million settlement to President Trump for what many experts believe was a flimsy lawsuit tied to a “60 Minutes” interview with former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Two senior executives, Bill Owens, the former “60 Minutes” executive producer, and Wendy McMahon, the former head of CBS News and local stations, both left the company, citing differences of opinion on how Paramount was handling these matters. More recently, CBS News agreed to only present live interviews on “Face the Nation,” giving up its ability to edit out falsehoods or stonewalling by guests.

Paramount drew further attention by installing a former Trump adviser, Kenneth Weinstein, as an ombudsman tasked with monitoring CBS News’ reporting and adjudicating claims of bias — a decision that could undermine the authority of the standards department.

CBS News will still have executives overseeing standards and practices. Susan Zirinsky, a former CBS News president, was asked earlier in 2025 to serve as an interim “executive editor,” helping to vet stories and journalistic practices. Al Ortiz, a former CBS News senior producer and standards executive,

Milne has held many roles at CBS News since joining in 2019. She was initially managing editor of “CBS This Morning,” an iteration of the CBS morning franchise that sought to devote more attention to harder news. She took on added leadership responsibilities during coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 presidential election. In 2021, she was given the additional role of overseeing a new unit devoted to examining misinformation and so-called “deepfakes,” or false videos that can often be generated via artificial intelligence.

Before joining CBS News, Milne was the senior editor of video at ProPublica and head of live TV at Bloomberg TV. She spent the majority of her career at the BBC, where she worked in senior positions as a producer on the flagship broadcasts and across all digital and 24-hour news platforms.

Milne has deep ties to CBS News. Her father, Stephen Milne, worked as an editor in CBS News’ London Bureau for 30 years, including more than a decade working for Don Hewitt, the first executive producer of “60 Minutes.”

“I learned young the sacrifices you and your families make to do this work. The late nights, missed birthdays and holidays, while he worked in Iran during the hostage crisis, the Afghan war (the Soviet one), Israel, Iraq and so many other places. He gave me a curiosity about the world and a belief in the importance of what you all do. When he was home, I learned a lot at the kitchen table,” Milne said, adding: “It has been a privilege to work alongside all of you and hopefully sometimes help make your work a little better.”