3 Veteran '60 Minutes' Correspondents Stay as Trump Fallout Cuts Roster to 3

3 articles · Updated · Variety · Jun 11

Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim told colleagues they will remain at “60 Minutes,” but said they may leave if the show can no longer practice “independent, fearless journalism.”
Their decision follows a May 28 purge that removed senior producers and correspondents, including executive producer Tanya Simon, and left the program with just three correspondents after Scott Pelley was fired and Anderson Cooper had already resigned.
Former staffers and veterans say the upheaval accelerated after Paramount settled Trump’s $16 million lawsuit over a 2024 Kamala Harris interview, then installed Bari Weiss and Nick Bilton in top editorial roles.
Several ousted journalists accused Weiss of trying to inject political bias or soften coverage of the Trump administration, allegations CBS disputes as routine editorial back-and-forth.
The fight now reaches beyond CBS: Axios reported David Ellison could put Weiss over CBS News and CNN if his $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal proceeds.