Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews, the president of CBS News for the past three decades, has announced her sudden decision to step down from her role as the news organization’s parent company prepares for a complex merger.
“No journalist wants to ‘be’ the news, especially me. But today, I have some news of my own to share,” Ciprián-Matthews stated in a memo to employees. “After much consideration, I’ve decided this is the right time to step away from my current role at CBS News and begin to write my next chapter.”
This unexpected move comes just months before the high-stakes 2024 presidential election, leaving CBS News without a top boss to guide the organization through this crucial time.
In a separate memo to staffers, Wendy McMahon, the chief executive of CBS News and Stations, revealed that Ciprián-Matthews will transition into a newly created role as a senior editorial adviser, focusing on guiding the outlet’s politics coverage during the election.
The announcement coincides with Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News, accepting an offer from Hollywood production studio Skydance Media to merge the two companies. After the merger, Skydance Media plans to install its own leadership team.
Ciprián-Matthews acknowledged the corporate uncertainty in her memo to staff, stating, “I do not want to be disingenuous with any of you about who should drive these decisions. I’ve always leaned into my integrity and my values and I felt it was important to be transparent at this juncture about my plans.”
McMahon mentioned that Ingrid will transition into her new role over the next few weeks, with more updates to come soon.
When she became the president of CBS News, Ciprián-Matthews made history as the first Latina to hold this influential post at the network’s news division. Her tenure followed Neeraj Khemlani’s brief two-year stint as president, during which he became the subject of a human resources probe.
With Ciprián-Matthews vacating her role, two of the nation’s biggest television broadcast news organizations will be without a chief heading into the November elections during a particularly turbulent period in the media industry. Earlier this year, Disney ousted Kim Godwin as ABC News chief and has yet to announce a replacement.
