CBS News Layoffs Claim Former Fox News Star Caught Up in First Amendment Case

CBS News laid off national security reporter Catherine Herridge on Tuesday as part of its parent company Paramount Global’s massive layoffs, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to The Daily Beast.

Other correspondents let go included correspondent Christina Ruffini and chief national security and justice reporter Jeff Pegues, the person confirmed. The three exits were first reported by the New York Post.

The news came as Paramount Global laid off 800 people on Tuesday as part of a cost-cutting operation and amid rampant speculation the company is up for sale. Potential buyers have included billionaires Byron Allen and David Ellison, and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav met with Paramount CEO Bob Bakish last year to discuss a merger.

“They’re cutting three correspondents who were on air during an election year,” said a CBS News insider, who said employees inside the network felt “shock” and “devastation” after Tuesday’s cuts. “It’s going to put a lot of work on the correspondents who remain at CBS.”

About 20 people were laid off at CBS News, according to The Wall Street Journal. A CBS News spokesperson did not respond to an immediate request for comment.

Herridge joined the network in 2019 after more than 20 years at Fox News, where she covered national security, including Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State. She later became CBS News’ senior investigative correspondent, where she drew flack from colleagues and Democrats for seemingly elevating GOP talking points, The Daily Beast reported in 2020.

Herridge is also embroiled in a First Amendment case involving a series of Fox News stories about a federal probe into Chinese American scientist Yanping Chen, who officials had investigated for lying on immigration forms though brought no charges. Herridge refused to comply with a federal judge’s order last year to reveal how she uncovered the probe—including the sources who provided her with the information. Herridge has challenged a potential contempt of court ruling.

The layoffs are part of a reckoning for the media industry, which has seen cuts far and wide. The Wall Street Journal laid off various reporters and editors inside their D.C. bureau earlier this month, while reporters at the now-defunct The Messenger, the Los Angeles Times, TIME magazine, Business Insider, Pitchfork, NBC News, and National Geographic have all lost jobs. Those follow layoffs and buyouts last year at other outlets, including The Washington Post and The New Yorker.

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