Bari Weiss is once again said to be turning heads inside CBS News with her latest move — a quiet but determined push to recruit ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman for the “CBS Evening News” anchor chair, according to a report.
Gutman, 47, is ABC’s chief national correspondent and a veteran field reporter known for his coverage of international crises, including years spent reporting from the Middle East.
Though he lacks formal anchoring experience, Weiss has singled him out as a possible face for CBS’s flagship newscast — a surprising choice that symbolizes the unorthodox approach she has taken since becoming editor in chief last month, according to the Status newsletter.
The odds of Gutman jumping ship to the Tiffany Network remain slim given that he remains under contract with Disney-owned ABC, Status reported.
Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski have been working to identify a successor for John Dickerson, who is set to exit by year’s end.
Dickerson has been co-anchoring the evening news alongside Maurice DuBois since late January — succeeding Norah O’Donnell.
The search has focused on both internal and external candidates, with “CBS Mornings” co-anchor Tony Dokoupil and O’Donnell among the in-house possibilities.
But Weiss has also cast a wide net beyond the network’s ranks, reaching out to high-profile journalists across Fox News, CNN and ABC.
The former New York Times opinion editor who went on to found the Free Press has reportedly sent out similar feelers to Fox News’ Bret Baier and CNN’s Anderson Cooper — all marquee names with deep television experience.
Gutman, by contrast, is a career correspondent without a track record behind a nightly anchor desk.
Weiss, who was installed by new CBS owner David Ellison to remake the network’s news division, has already issued sweeping internal directives, taken control of booking decisions and personally phoned producers about coverage priorities.
Her search for a new “Evening News” anchor appears central to that effort — a high-profile decision that will set the tone for the Weiss era at CBS.
Weiss’s eye for Gutman, insiders told Status, may stem from his reporting on Israel, a subject of deep personal interest for her.
Baier is under contract with Fox News through the end of 2028. The host of “Special Report with Bret Baier” recently told podcaster Meghan McCain that he’s “very happy at Fox.”
Fox News is property of Fox Corp — the sister company to The Post’s corporate parent News Corp.
The Post has sought comment from CBS News and ABC News. CNN and Fox News both declined to comment.
