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CBS News has disbanded its Race and Culture unit as part of the wider layoffs at parent company, Paramount Skydance, on October 28, 2025. The restructure reportedly began in August 2025 following the merger between Paramount and Skydance Media.As per the Paramount website, CBS News' Race and Culture unit was created in 2020 and headed by executive producer Alvin Patrick, who will remain on staff despite the unit's disbandment. During an interview at the time with Paramount's Q&A series Eye On, Patrick said the unit functioned as "both an incubator and a facilitator" to ensure stories have proper context and tone. He described the unit's work as providing "an extra pair of fresh eyes on stories that may need guidance on context, tone and intention for every show and platform in the division.""I'm looking at scripts and screeners, and pointing out the different things that we should pay attention to, so that we're not stereotyping, so that we're giving the proper context, so that the audience is walking away with an informed and truthful understanding of a particular subject... The goal is really to create a level of consistency as we report on race and culture, in a timely, accurate, informative and dynamic way," he said.CBS News' decision to disband its Race and Culture unit was met with divisive responses from netizens on X, with one user adding that the news felt like "a step backwards.""Feels like a step backward. Representation and cultural reporting matter, especially in shaping public understanding."E N C O U R A G E @enn_courageLINK@PopCrave @TheWrap Feels like a step backward. Representation and cultural reporting matter, especially in shaping public understanding.Several netizens echoed similar sentiments, claiming that media outlets were becoming "bolder" since Donald Trump took office for the second time earlier this year.bry @cartierbryLINK@PopCrave @TheWrap Of course they did… ever since Trump, media outlets been getting bolder about sidelining anything that actually challenges racism. Sad but not surprising.WEB3 MAJO ♞ @_MaJoFinanceLINK@PopCrave @TheWrap Wow, that’s a major shift. Wonder how this will impact coverage and newsroom diversity initiatives moving forward.Life is Good @billionaire_lfeLINK@PopCrave @TheWrap We are really going backwards as a country all because of people’s incompetence and racismEmersyn @emersyn_rossLINK@PopCrave @TheWrap another sign of the times, diversity initiatives getting axed left and rightMeanwhile, others were happy about the unit's disbandment, calling it "useless."D Mk @wickedsmaahhtLINK@PopCrave @TheWrap Hiring and promoting people based on merit is the best equalizer.Gurmut @GurmutPLINK@PopCrave @TheWrap Good. It was useless.Some claimed they were not surprised by the sudden shift in the current political climate.Forex OG 🦅 @Forex_OGLINK@PopCrave @TheWrap Diversity was trending when it was profitable. Now the market’s shifting — and everyone’s pretending it was never about money in the first place. Can’t say I’m surprised 🙄Eurylochus @CharybdysseusIILINK@PopCrave @TheWrap Further proof that the concept of "liberal media" has always been a lie. It's never been liberal, it's just a different flavor of the same right wing garbageExploring other CBS News programs affected by the layoffsRumors of a shake-up at CBS News emerged after David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, appointed former New York Times writer Bari Weiss as the news network's editor-in-chief earlier this month. The rumors were further exacerbated after Weiss sent a company memo asking staff to detail how they spent their work hours a few days after she assumed her post.On October 28, 2025, CBS News announced significant layoffs, which resulted in the cancelation of certain programs and the shutdown of units. According to The Wrap, nearly 100 CBS News staff and approximately 1,000 Paramount Skydance staff are estimated to have lost their jobs on October 28. David Ellison addressed the layoffs in an internal memo to staff that day, saying:“In some areas, we are addressing redundancies that have emerged across the organization. In others, we are phasing out roles that are no longer aligned with our evolving priorities and the new structure designed to strengthen our focus on growth. Ultimately, these steps are necessary to position Paramount for long-term success.”According to The Guardian, CBS News' new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, told staffers during an editorial call that Wednesday would be an “enormously difficult day” at CBS News, adding:“This is just an enormously difficult day for so many people that have given years of their lives to this company, and I’m sorry, and want to support everyone in whatever way I can."CBS News' South Africa division in Johannesburg will be shut down as part of the layoffs. Meanwhile, the network's CBS Mornings Plus and CBS Evening News Plus, the streaming counterparts to its morning and evening shows, were canceled. The network's Saturday morning show, CBS Saturday Morning, will undergo a format change, with the program's hosts, Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson, as well as executive producer Brian Applegate, being laid off.Jeremy Barr @jeremymbarrLINKSome details on what was cut in the CBS News layoffs: the network has cancelled the "CBS Mornings Plus" streaming show and the "CBS Evenings Plus" show. Also, the network's Johannesburg bureau is closing. And the Saturday morning show is undergoing a format change...In July 2025, CBS announced its decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after a three-decade run, weeks before the merger between Paramount and Skydance Media. According to the BBC, CBS stated that the cancelation was "purely a financial decision" and "not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters."
