CBS News

• 1. Foundations Of Broadcast News

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  In 1929, the Columbia Broadcasting System began making regular radio news broadcasts. These were five-minute summaries taken from reports supplied by United Press. One of three wire services that fed newspapers with national and international news, United Press provided the raw material for CBS's early efforts. In December 1930, CBS chief William S. Paley hired journalist Paul W. White away from United Press as CBS's news editor. Paley put the radio network's news operation at the same level as entertainment. He authorized White to interrupt programming if events warranted. This decision broke a long-standing embargo imposed upon radio by the wire services. The embargo prevented networks from using bulletins until they first appeared in print. CBS disregarded this rule when it broke the story of the Lindbergh kidnapping in 1932. They used live on-the-air reporting to scoop print outlets. Radio networks scooped print outlets with news of the 1932 presidential election. In March 1933, White was named vice president and general manager in charge of news at CBS. As the first head of CBS News, he began to build an organization that soon established a legendary reputation.

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• 2. The Murrow Era And World War Ii

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  In 1935, White hired Edward R. Murrow and sent him to London in 1937 to run CBS Radio's European operation. White led a staff that would come to include Richard C. Hottelet, Charles Collingwood, William L. Shirer, Eric Sevareid, Bill Downs, John Charles Daly, Joseph C. Harsch, Cecil Brown, Elmer Davis, Quincy Howe, H. V. Kaltenborn, Robert Trout, and Lewis Shollenberger. CBS was getting its ducks in a row for the biggest news story in history, World War II. In 1940, William S. Paley recruited Edmund A. Chester from his position as Bureau Chief for Latin America at the Associated Press. He coordinated the development of the international shortwave radio Network of the Americas, called La Cadena de las Américas, in 1942. Broadcasting in concert with the assistance of the Department of State, the Office for Inter-American Affairs chaired by Nelson Rockefeller and Voice of America provided vital news and cultural programming throughout South America and Central America during the World War II era. Through its operations in 20 nations, it fostered benevolent diplomatic relations between the United States and other nations in the region while providing an alternative to Nazi propaganda.

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• 3. Television Expansion And The Cronkite Years

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  After becoming commercial station WCBW in 1941, the pioneer CBS television station in New York City broadcast two daily news programs. They aired at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. weekdays, anchored by Richard Hubbell. Most newscasts featured Hubbell reading a script with only occasional cutaways to a map or still photograph. When Pearl Harbor was bombed on the 7th of December 1941, WCBW took to the air at 8:45 p.m. with an extensive special report. The national emergency broke down the unspoken wall between CBS radio and television. WCBW executives convinced radio announcers and experts such as George Fielding Elliot and Linton Wells to come down to the Grand Central studios during the evening. They gave information and commentary on the attack. The WCBW special report that night lasted less than 90 minutes. That unscheduled live news broadcast marked the greatest advance of any single problem faced up to that time. In May 1948, Douglas Edwards began anchoring CBS Television News, a regular 15-minute nightly newscast. It aired every weeknight at 7:30 p.m. and was the first regularly scheduled network television news program featuring an anchor. In 1962, the broadcast was renamed the CBS Evening News when Walter Cronkite replaced Edwards. Cronkite served as anchor for nearly two decades until 1981.

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• 4. Iconic Magazine Programs And Special Reports

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  In 1949, Edmund Chester collaborated with Larry LeSueur to produce the innovative news series United Nations In Action. Underwritten by Ford Motor Company as a public service, the broadcasts provided live coverage of the proceedings of the United Nations General Assembly from its interim headquarters in Lake Success, New York. They proved successful and were honored with a George Foster Peabody Award for Television News in 1949. Face the Nation launched on the 7th of November 1954, and remains a Sunday morning political affairs program today. 60 Minutes premiered on the 24th of September 1968, and continues to air as a flagship news magazine program. 48 Hours began on the 19th of January 1988, and has run continuously since then. CBS News Sunday Morning started on the 28th of January 1979, and is still broadcasting. These programs established CBS as a leader in long-form journalism and investigative reporting. The network also produced other notable shows like You Are There, which ran from 1953 to 1973, and CBS Reports, which aired from 1959 to 2010.

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• 5. Digital Transformation And Network Restructuring

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  In 2021, CBS News set up its own production unit called See It Now Studios, headed by Susan Zirinsky. Until April 2021, Zirinsky served as president and senior executive producer of CBS News. She assumed the role on the 1st of March 2019, after David Rhodes stepped down amid falling ratings and sexual misconduct allegations. In April 2021, CBS Television Stations and CBS News merged their two divisions into one entity named CBS News and Stations. Neeraj Khemlani and Wendy McMahon were named presidents and co-heads. This transition was completed on the 3rd of May 2021. On the 14th of August 2023, after Khemlani announced he was stepping down, CBS News named McMahon as its sole president and CEO. Tom Cibrowski was hired as president in February 2025. CBS News 24/7 launched on the 4th of November 2014, as CBSN. The channel features live news from 9 a.m. to midnight on weekdays. It is available exclusively online and on smart devices such as Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire.

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• 6. Controversies And Editorial Conflicts

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  Notable controversies include the resignation of CBS News president Fred Friendly in 1966 to protest against Vietnam War coverage. The 2004 Killian documents controversy involved Dan Rather presenting improperly verified documents. Accusations of liberal bias and plagiarism have also surfaced over the years. Several instances of misrepresented or erroneously attributed footage occurred during this period. In 2025, following editorial changes by owner Larry Ellison and editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, CBS News faced allegations of conservative pro-Trump pro-MAGA bias. Resignations and criticism followed from hosts and journalists regarding loss of journalistic independence. In October 2024, President Donald Trump sued CBS News over a 60 Minutes interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. He alleged that the network engaged in election interference through deceptive editing. The lawsuit sought $10 billion in damages. In July 2025, Paramount Global settled the lawsuit for $16 million. This settlement was described as a capitulation to Trump's executive power and a blow to freedom of the press. In April 2025, 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens left the network citing deterioration of journalistic independence.

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