
Former '60 Minutes' correspondent speculates Bari Weiss' days are numbered
Under conservative editor Bari Weiss's eight-month leadership at CBS News, the top-rated "60 Minutes" program has lost seven of its 10 correspondents and seen its editorial independence severely compromised through alleged political interference. On May 28 — dubbed "Black Thursday" by staff — Weiss fired correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, executive producer Tanya Simon, and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich in a single sweep, reported Variety. Days later, Scott Pelley was also fired after questioning Weiss's leadership publicly. Former correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi alleged Weiss cut a fully vetted report on Venezuelan migrants in El Salvador hours before airtime because the Trump administration declined comment. Among Pelley's accounts of Weiss' leadership style to The New York Times, he reported the controversial Editor-in-Chief demanded he contradict evidence when reporting on Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Instead of saying ICE shot a woman, Weiss demanded Pelley say she drove towards the officer. Critics denounced other problematic patterns, including a CBS Evening News segment stating, "Marco Rubio, we salute you," and allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the privilege of selecting his own "60 Minutes" interviewer. Before Weiss's purge and despite ongoing turmoil, the program just completed its 52nd consecutive season as top-rated news programming.“I have a feeling that Bari will not be overseeing ‘60 Minutes’ for very much longer," hoped longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft, who retired in 2019. Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Compare Perspectives
Trump news at a glance: another day, another claim of imminent peace deal with Iran
President claims US and Iran are on the verge yet again, but we’ve heard that before – key US politics stories from Thursday 11 JuneDonald Trump claimed on Thursday that the US and Iran are on the verge of signing a peace agreement and announced that he will cancel fresh missile strikes.His comments came in a new bout of public diplomacy by social media, which was not immediately confirmed by the Iranian leadership. Continue reading...
Iranian state media says reports of a deal are 'speculative and nothing has been finalized'
After President Trump announced that U.S. strikes on Iran would be canceled due to a deal to end the war being signed in the next few days, Iranian state media responded that the reports of a deal are "speculative and nothing has been finalized." NBC News' Monica Alba, Matt Bradley and Brian Cheung report on the implications politically, abroad and on the stock market.
Hegseth's D-Day Speech Gave Europe a Spot-On Warning
War Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a great speech on D-Day in Normandy.
NOW 2 former court clerks arrested for helping illegal aliens avoid arrest
Unsealed indictment alleges obstruction of immigration proceedings and obstruction of law enforcement
A carving of the numbers ‘8647’ has appeared on the National Mall
A large etching of what appears to be the numbers “8647” has appeared on the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, situated in the area across the street from the White House. The numbers eight, six, and seven are clearly visible in a photo taken by Reuters from the […]
Trump nominates Jay Clayton, former SEC chairman, current US Attorney, as intelligence director
Jay Clayton, former SEC chairman and current U.S. Attorney, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next Director of National Intelligence.
'Colossally wrong': Ex-'60 Minutes' star predicts Bari Weiss's days are numbered
Veteran journalists braced for change when David Ellison took control of CBS and installed conservative Bari Weiss as editor in chief of the news division, but six former staffers revealed they should have been prepared for a demolition.In eight months under Weiss's leadership, "60 Minutes," the top-rated news program in the country, drawing 9.1 million weekly viewers, has lost seven of its 10 correspondents, seen its veteran executive producer fired without explanation, and watched its editorial independence eroded by what multiple journalists describe as direct political interference in their reporting, reported Variety.“We have to acknowledge that ‘60 Minutes’ needed a bit of a facelift, and there were potentially positive ways to improve the program, but it’s the way they have gone about it,” said one former “60 Minutes” staffer. “You don’t give a facelift with a f---ing machete.”The breaking point came May 28, a day staffers now call "Black Thursday," when Weiss fired correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, executive producer Tanya Simon and executive editor Draggan Mihailovich in a single sweep. Days later, Scott Pelley, the de facto face of CBS News for nearly four decades, was fired after publicly questioning Weiss's leadership at an all-hands staff meeting.The firings followed months of alleged editorial meddling. Alfonsi accused Weiss of spiking a fully vetted report on Venezuelan migrants held in an El Salvadoran prison — pulling it hours before airtime because the Trump administration declined to comment. "If the administration's refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story," Alfonsi wrote to colleagues, "we have effectively handed them a kill switch for any reporting they find inconvenient." Vega made similar allegations on her way out, and Pelley told the New York Times that Weiss demanded he describe a woman shot dead by ICE agents as "driving toward the officer" — a claim contradicted by video evidence.CBS News disputes the characterizations, calling Weiss's interventions routine editorial feedback with no political motivation.Critics point to a broader pattern. A CBS Evening News segment concluded with the words "Marco Rubio, we salute you." Weiss allowed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to choose his own interviewer for a "60 Minutes" sit-down, earning personal praise from a former Israeli ambassador. A "60 Minutes" report on ICE enforcement in Minneapolis was allegedly reworked to make protesters appear more violent.The collapse is striking as under outgoing executive producer Tanya Simon, "60 Minutes" just completed its 52nd consecutive season as the top-rated news program in America, with digital engagement up dramatically and viewership growing.The three remaining correspondents — Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim — announced last week they would stay, but warned they would leave if the show's editorial independence could not be preserved. “They’ve been shameless in their directions and shameless in their actions," said longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft, who retired in 2019. "I hope it’s going to come to an end, but I don’t have a great deal of confidence in Bari Weiss to do what she says that she’s going to do. She hasn’t done it so far. I think it’s going to be more of the same, and it’ll be interesting to see how much Lesley, Bill and Jon will put up with.”Kroft doesn't expect Weiss, who reportedly holes up behind a security team in her office in an off-limits wing, to stick around much longer herself.“I have a feeling that Bari will not be overseeing ‘60 Minutes’ for very much longer," Kroft said. "I think once the deal gets done with Warner Bros., people will demand that she be let go or move into another position. Everything she’s touched has turned to s---. Everything she’s touched has gone colossally wrong, and I don’t think she’s showed any talent for this position. She’s only fulfilling other people’s agendas.”






