CBS News’ Justice Correspondent Scott MacFarlane Exits Network Amid Paramount Skydance Shakeups

CBS News’ justice correspondent, Scott MacFarlane, has officially announced his exit from the network amid shakeups related to the news wing by its parent company, Paramount Skydance.

On Monday, March 9, MacFarlane took to X, where he shared a brief statement that he said he’d just shared with his colleagues at the network.

“To my incredible colleagues at CBS: I want to personally let you know that my work will soon no longer appear on CBS News. This is my decision, and I appreciate the bosses at CBS for understanding it,” he wrote. “I will always value the opportunity I had to work alongside the talented and committed professionals here. I’m proud to have had the words ‘CBS correspondent’ next to my name – always will be.”

He concluded the statement with a hint at what he’ll be doing after his time at CBS is finished.

“For the next phase of my career, I look forward to some independence and finding new spaces to share my work in line with my personal goals,” MacFarlane wrote. “I thank you all. The work will not stop, and I’ll always be a call away.”

MacFarlane joined the network in 2021 and has made a name for himself there as a hard-hitting journalist covering some of the most historic events in recent memory, such as the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in 2024, where he reported from the field in Butler, Pennsylvania.

A source told Variety that many at CBS were surprised to learn of his abrupt exit.

However, the political journalist’s move comes amid many shakeups at the network as The Los Angeles Times reports that Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison has tasked CBS News’ controversial new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, with moving the network to a more politically centrist tone following criticism from Trump and his allies.