60 Minutes Faces 59th-Season Shake-Up as 2 Top Correspondents Exit Under Bari Weiss
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · May 16
60 Minutes Faces 59th-Season Shake-Up as 2 Top Correspondents Exit Under Bari Weiss
5 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · May 16
CBS’s 60 Minutes is expected to undergo “massive changes” after Sunday’s season finale, with a reported newsroom shake-up for its 59th season that could include layoffs and broader use of CBS anchors.
Two key departures are already in motion: Anderson Cooper, 58, is stepping away after declining a new contract, and Sharyn Alfonsi, 53, is reportedly not being renewed after clashes over editorial decisions.
Those tensions center on Bari Weiss, named CBS News editor-in-chief in October, whose leadership has already cut dozens of journalists and drawn internal criticism for decisions seen as favoring the Trump administration.
Staff complaints cited scrutiny or shelving of 60 Minutes pieces on Trump policies and deportees sent to an El Salvador mega-prison, while Lesley Stahl, 84, is also reportedly unhappy over a Netanyahu interview decision.
To fill gaps, Weiss is said to be considering Tony Dokoupil and other CBS journalists for more regular 60 Minutes roles, a shift staffers fear could dilute the show’s brand built since 1968.
As veteran journalists exit amid an overhaul, is the iconic '60 Minutes' brand facing its greatest threat in 59 seasons?
Can a news giant sacrifice editorial independence for a new corporate vision and still maintain the trust of its audience?