60 Minutes shakeup: Bari Weiss hires Nick Bilton as new executive producer

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The firing of Scott Pelley from 60 Minutes, along with other recent firings and resignations, has seriously damaged one of the most trusted news organizations in the United States. That's something you should be concerned about, even if you've never watched the show.

• Why Bari Weiss Is Tearing Down '60 Minutes'
  
• Opinion | Major shakeup at '60 Minutes' raises questions ...
  
• The People at 60 Minutes Lost Their Jobs, but the Country ...
  
• The Meltdown Inside '60 Minutes'
  
• Firings at '60 Minutes,' layoffs at NPR, the end of CBS Radio ...
  
• Whither '60 Minutes'? As Turmoil Unspools in Public, CBS ...
  
• Does “60 Minutes” actually need fixing?
  
• Steve Kroft on Bari Weiss' “Disastrous” '60 Minutes' Shakeup
  
• CNN Is Under Threat Following '60 Minutes' Upheaval ...
  
• Trump's War On The Free Press Hits New Milestone
  
• Firings at CBS' '60 Minutes' reflect the fight for media ...
  
• The demolition of 60 Minutes under corporate pressures ...
  
• '60 Minutes' In Damage Control After Explosive Firing & ...

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60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl: Paramount CEO David Ellison promised to respect our editorial independence

Stahl told The New York Times today that Ellison had pledged to respect 60 Minutes’ editorial independence in a call he made to her on Sunday. It was, says The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin and Michael M. Grynbaum, “one of the first signs that Mr. Ellison was personally taking steps to calm the turmoil at the news network after the firing of the show’s leadership and several of its star correspondents. The overhaul, overseen by Bari Weiss, the network’s editor in chief, was met with a rebuke from Scott Pelley, a star correspondent at 60 Minutes who has since been fired. Ms. Stahl told the news program’s staff about Mr. Ellison’s call during a champagne toast she held at the 60 Minutes offices in Midtown Manhattan on Monday in an attempt to shore up morale at the program. She, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim, the remaining stars of the program, had agonized about whether to stay in the aftermath of the staff changes and Mr. Pelley’s firing. But in a letter to the show’s staff Friday, they concluded that they had to remain at the show because they didn’t ‘want to see 60 Minutes die.’” As Stahl explained to The Times: “My toast was, ‘to us,’ meaning the survivors. Maybe ‘us’ with a twinge of survivor’s guilt.” Yet , as The Guardian’s Jeremy Barr tweeted last Friday: “David Ellison had personally promised editorial independence to the 60 Minutes team upon taking over the company last summer, and three prominent correspondents obviously have alleged that didn’t happen...”

Paramount is seeking a business-side counterpart for Bari Weiss: Does this mean she’ll also run CNN?
“Paramount has held preliminary conversations with several candidates for a business-side counterpart to CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, according to two sources familiar with the network’s inner workings,” reports Axios’ Sara Fischer and Mike Allen. “Why it matters: The search implies that if Paramount Skydance’s deal with Warner Bros. Discovery goes through, Weiss would oversee all news editorial across both CBS News and CNN. Her potential counterpart would manage business operations across both companies.” They add: “Names under consideration include NBCUniversal News Group chairman Cesar Conde, CNN Worldwide CEO Mark Thompson and former NBC News president Noah Oppenheim. Paramount had also considered Ben Sherwood, the Daily Beast’s CEO and former ABC News president, and David Rhodes, former CBS News president and current Sky News executive chairman, according to a source familiar with the search.” According to Variety’s Brian Steinberg, the new executive “would not likely enjoy any editorial or creative control greater than Weiss.”

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60 Minutes mess is poisoning the CBS brand among showrunners

The chaos engulfing 60 Minutes is indeed spilling over into the broader CBS ecosystem, prompting top showrunners and creatives with studio ties to refuse to pitch new projects to the network and Paramount+. The drastic restructuring under new CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and corporate parent Paramount has sparked widespread concern among industry veterans.

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Veteran 60 Minutes producer exits after 41 years

Veteran 60 Minutes producer Michael Gavshon is exiting CBS News at the end of June, concluding a 41-year career at the network, with 34 years spent on the storied newsmagazine.

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Originally Posted by TMC

60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl: Paramount CEO David Ellison promised to respect our editorial independence

Stahl told The New York Times today that Ellison had pledged to respect 60 Minutes’ editorial independence in a call he made to her on Sunday. It was, says The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin and Michael M. Grynbaum, “one of the first signs that Mr. Ellison was personally taking steps to calm the turmoil at the news network after the firing of the show’s leadership and several of its star correspondents. The overhaul, overseen by Bari Weiss, the network’s editor in chief, was met with a rebuke from Scott Pelley, a star correspondent at 60 Minutes who has since been fired. Ms. Stahl told the news program’s staff about Mr. Ellison’s call during a champagne toast she held at the 60 Minutes offices in Midtown Manhattan on Monday in an attempt to shore up morale at the program. She, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim, the remaining stars of the program, had agonized about whether to stay in the aftermath of the staff changes and Mr. Pelley’s firing. But in a letter to the show’s staff Friday, they concluded that they had to remain at the show because they didn’t ‘want to see 60 Minutes die.’” As Stahl explained to The Times: “My toast was, ‘to us,’ meaning the survivors. Maybe ‘us’ with a twinge of survivor’s guilt.” Yet , as The Guardian’s Jeremy Barr tweeted last Friday: “David Ellison had personally promised editorial independence to the 60 Minutes team upon taking over the company last summer, and three prominent correspondents obviously have alleged that didn’t happen...”

Paramount is seeking a business-side counterpart for Bari Weiss: Does this mean she’ll also run CNN?
“Paramount has held preliminary conversations with several candidates for a business-side counterpart to CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, according to two sources familiar with the network’s inner workings,” reports Axios’ Sara Fischer and Mike Allen. “Why it matters: The search implies that if Paramount Skydance’s deal with Warner Bros. Discovery goes through, Weiss would oversee all news editorial across both CBS News and CNN. Her potential counterpart would manage business operations across both companies.” They add: “Names under consideration include NBCUniversal News Group chairman Cesar Conde, CNN Worldwide CEO Mark Thompson and former NBC News president Noah Oppenheim. Paramount had also considered Ben Sherwood, the Daily Beast’s CEO and former ABC News president, and David Rhodes, former CBS News president and current Sky News executive chairman, according to a source familiar with the search.” According to Variety’s Brian Steinberg, the new executive “would not likely enjoy any editorial or creative control greater than Weiss.”

CNN staffers are reportedly worried about Bari Weiss

CNN staffers are deeply anxious about a potential editorial takeover by Bari Weiss as a massive $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery nears completion. Because Paramount owns CBS, the deal could give Skydance CEO David Ellison—an ally of President Donald Trump—the power to expand Weiss’s current CBS News oversight to include CNN.

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Originally Posted by TMC

CNN staffers are reportedly worried about Bari Weiss

CNN staffers are deeply anxious about a potential editorial takeover by Bari Weiss as a massive $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery nears completion. Because Paramount owns CBS, the deal could give Skydance CEO David Ellison—an ally of President Donald Trump—the power to expand Weiss’s current CBS News oversight to include CNN.

CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid to exit, reportedly over Paramount takeover “discomfort”

CNN’s Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid is exiting the network amid widespread newsroom anxiety regarding the upcoming David Ellison and Skydance takeover of parent company Paramount Global.

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Originally Posted by TMC

CNN chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid to exit, reportedly over Paramount takeover “discomfort”

CNN’s Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid is exiting the network amid widespread newsroom anxiety regarding the upcoming David Ellison and Skydance takeover of parent company Paramount Global.

Paramount can’t afford to let go of CNN

Paramount cannot afford to let go of CNN because the cable news giant provides critical financial cash flow to pay down post-merger debt and serves as a foundational linchpin in traditional cable bundle negotiations. While California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other states have filed a lawsuit to block Paramount's impending $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), shedding CNN to appease antitrust regulators would likely compromise the entire transaction.

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60 Minutes is screen-testing

60 Minutes is holding screen tests for potential new correspondents—including mock interviews with a person playing Ghislaine Maxwell—as newly appointed executive producer Nick Bilton and Bari Weiss work to rebuild the newsmagazine ahead of the fall season.

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Originally Posted by TMC

60 Minutes is screen-testing

60 Minutes is holding screen tests for potential new correspondents—including mock interviews with a person playing Ghislaine Maxwell—as newly appointed executive producer Nick Bilton and Bari Weiss work to rebuild the newsmagazine ahead of the fall season.

60 Minutes announces new hires, including Ross Douthat and Sebastian Junger, plus Norah O’Donnell promotion

CBS's 60 Minutes has officially announced a sweeping new lineup of correspondents and contributors for its upcoming 59th season, including Ross Douthat, Sebastian Junger, and Norah O’Donnell. The staffing changes were detailed on July 28, 2026, in an internal staff memo from the program's new executive producer, Nick Bilton.