CBS justice correspondent leaving network: ‘I look forward to some independence’

Journalist Scott MacFarlane is leaving CBS News, the latest in a string of high-profile departures at the broadcaster since its parent company Paramount Skydance was bought last year by Larry and David Ellison.

MacFarlane, who made a name for himself covering the Justice Department and issues relating to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump, announced in a note to colleagues his 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 in the note, which he also published to social media. “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.”

MacFarlane gave few details about the next stop in his career, writing only, “I look forward to some independence and finding new spaces to share my work in line with my personal goals.”

MacFarlane’s departure comes as part of a slew of top editors and corespondents who have left the network since the Paramount-Skydance merger last summer.

David Ellison soon after the merger closed tapped controversial journalist Bari Weiss to serve as CBS News’s editor in chief. She has since implemented sweeping changes at the network and received criticism internally for her handling of stories relating to the Trump administration.

As part of the family’s bid to acquire Paramount, Ellison wrote to the Federal Communications Commission he was focused on retooling CBS to serve a more “diverse” set of political views and represent a wider audience, an effort many Democrats and media critics have taken as a rightward shift.

MacFarlane joined CBS in 2021.

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