Scott McFarlane leaves CBS News after five years
Scott McFarlane is leaving CBS News amid the post-merger turmoil that followed last year’s merger of Paramount and Skydance Media.
After five years covering Washington, D.C. and federal courthouses for CBS News, Scott McFarlane is bidding farewell to the station.
MacFarlane announced his resignation in a post on X on Monday, March 9, sharing a memo he sent to colleagues at CBS.
“To my wonderful colleagues at CBS: I would like to personally inform you that my work will soon no longer be featured on CBS News. This was my decision, and I thank my bosses at CBS for understanding it. I will always cherish the opportunity to work with the talented and dedicated professionals here,” he wrote. “I’m proud to have ‘CBS Correspondent’ next to my name, and always will be. In the next phase of my career, I look forward to some independence and finding new spaces to share my work in alignment with my personal goals. Thank you to everyone. The work never stops and you’re always welcome to call.”
McFarlane joined CBS in 2021 and quickly rose to prominence for his reporting on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot ahead of President Joe Biden’s inauguration, and the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election.
His departure from the storied news organization comes amid major turmoil caused by last year’s controversial merger of CBS parent company Paramount and Skydance Media.
After Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison appointed Free Press founder and opinion writer Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief in October, her hiring sparked controversy over her lack of experience in broadcast news.
Several subsequent moves, including the station’s decision to pull a “60 Minutes” segment featuring a huge prison in El Salvador housing immigrants deported from the United States hours before its broadcast in December, drew backlash and accusations that they were politically motivated.
A town hall by Erica Kirk, widow of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, also caused controversy among viewers. Tony Ducoupil, who served as host of “CBS Evening News” under Mr. Weiss, also got off to a rocky start, having several broadcasting mishaps during his first broadcast.
Dokoupil’s appointment as host follows the departure of anchor Norah O’Donnell, who had held the position since 2019, in 2024, as well as the departures of John Dickerson and Maurice Dubois, the latter after 15 years with the station.
Contributors: Kimi Robinson, Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
