In a dramatic shake-up at CBS News, editor-in-chief Bari Weiss has overseen the firing of six senior staff at '60 Minutes', including correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, and executive producer Tanya Simon. The dismissals, carried out on May 28, follow a clash between Weiss and Alfonsi over a report on Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador. Weiss pulled the piece hours before it was due to air, demanding it include the perspective of a Trump administration official. Alfonsi called the move 'not an editorial decision, but a political one'.
Weiss installed tech columnist Nick Bilton, who has no broadcast journalism experience, as Simon's successor. On June 1, veteran correspondent Scott Pelley, a 37-year CBS newsman, questioned Bilton's credentials at an all-hands meeting and accused Weiss of 'murdering 60 Minutes'. The following day, Pelley was fired in a letter from Bilton citing 'remarkable incivility and contempt'. The departures leave the programme with only three correspondents, down from seven, following Anderson Cooper's resignation in February.
Former staffers describe the upheaval as brutal. 'You don't give a facelift with a fucking machete,' one said. The turmoil follows Paramount Global's decision to settle a $16 million lawsuit brought by President Trump over a lightly edited interview with Kamala Harris. Critics call the suit baseless. The settlement cleared the way for Paramount's merger with Skydance Media, which required FCC approval. New owner David Ellison, a Trump ally, has since appointed Kenneth Weinstein, a Trump adviser, as CBS News' ombudsman.
Lowell Bergman, a former '60 Minutes' producer, noted that Trump's lawsuit, which many laughed at, effectively made CBS's lawyers impotent. 'He has a habit of filing lawsuits that he can't win,' Bergman said. A CBS News spokesperson declined to comment on individual departures, citing HR and legal considerations.
