CBS News has ousted London bureau chief Claire Day after she clashed with editor-in-chief Bari Weiss over the network’s coverage of Iran and Gaza, The Post has learned.
A CBS source told The Post that Shayndi Raice, a newly hired foreign editor from the Wall Street Journal, will lead all international coverage across CBS News and will be based out of London starting May 11.
In a memo to staffers, CBS News president Tom Cibrowski said: “Our London Bureau will be moving to a new editorial leadership structure, with the introduction of a foreign editor role overseeing all international coverage.”
He added that Day, who will leave the network on May 1, has been “dedicated to the craft of storytelling” and that “her work made a difference for CBS News.”
Behind the scenes, insiders said tensions have lately spilled over inside the London Bureau over Middle East coverage. One freelance cameraman and editor had accused Day of running the London bureau like a “Hamas cell,” according to a source.
On Monday morning, when addressing staff about her departure, Day asked the unnamed cameraman — who, according to a source, had claimed to have a “direct line” to Weiss — to step out of the room before she gave an “emotional” farewell and lauded “praise” on her team, a source said.
An internal probe over potential slanted coverage cleared Day of any alleged bias, sources said.
Neither Day nor CBS News commented.
Day, who was appointed London bureau chief two years ago and has worked at CBS News for two decades, had clashed with Weiss, a self-proclaimed Zionist, over coverage on Iran and Gaza, a source with knowledge said.
“Claire was pushing back on calls” with Weiss over coverage, the person said, also claiming that “Bari barely spoke to her” to address her issues.
A second CBS insider added that there was never any kind of blow-up on daily editorial calls, but that Day made it clear that she wanted coverage to be balanced.
“It’s really sad. Claire has been the most committed soldier to CBS News for nearly a quarter of a century,” the source added. “For Bari and Tom to discard her because she failed some undefined purity test is appalling.”
A third CBS source lamented the lack of TV and management experience of Day’s replacement.
“The woman who is taking over has no previous television experience and very little managerial experience — certainly on the scale required,” the person said.
Raice, who had been based in Israel, has covered security issues related to the Middle East for the Journal following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. Prior to that, she was the WSJ’s Midwest bureau chief and covered tech and finance in San Francisco and New York.
A network source dismissed the idea that Raice lacked managerial experience, citing her four-year stint as deputy bureau chief of the Middle East and North Africa.
Breaker first reported that Raice would be decamping the Journal for CBS News for a foreign editor role.
All of this comes at a bittersweet time for CBS News, which celebrated a few wins over the weekend in its coverage of Saturday’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner where President Trump was set to roast journalists at the Hilton hotel in Washington, DC.
CBS News correspondents sprang into action to cover the thwarted assassination attempt on Trump, and correspondent Norah O’Donnell landed an exclusive interview with the president for “60 Minutes,” which aired Sunday.
Weiss helped lead the charge and addressed employees on Monday about their excellent work, sources said.
