The CBS broadcast 60 Minutes announced a new slate of correspondents and contributors on Tuesday to replace a group of longtime correspondents fired earlier this year.
New Additions to the Lineup
New York Times opinion columnist Ross Douthat is joining as a correspondent, leaving the Times. Executive producer Nick Bilton called Douthat “a thinker of uncommon rigor and a journalist of deep empathy.”
Three new contributors have also been added: author and documentarian Sebastian Junger, filmmaker Gianna Toboni, and UK journalist and political commentator Trevor Phillips, who was hired by CBS News as a global correspondent in June.
Promotions and Retentions
Norah O’Donnell, a former network anchor who served as a contributor, has been promoted to full-time correspondent. Bilton praised the new hires as “entrepreneurial journalists who understand how to reach modern audiences.”
Longtime correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim chose to remain with the show, opting to “stay and fight.”
Background of Departures
The announcement comes two months after a day known by some staff as “Black Thursday,” when the network ousted correspondents Cecilia Vega, Sharyn Alfonsi, executive producer Tanya Simon, executive editor Draggan Mihailovich, and multiple producers. Scott Pelley was fired the following week after challenging network management.
Since leaving, Pelley, Alfonsi, and Vega have accused CBS News leadership of meddling with editorial independence, which the network denies.
The new season begins on September 13, with Bilton saying the show has “so many stellar pieces in the works.”
