New Head At CBS News Could Be Making Big Changes
The era of polite journalism may be coming to an end at CBS — and it looks like “60 Minutes” is first on the chopping block.
In a move that has insiders whispering and heads quietly rolling, CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss is reportedly preparing to reshape the network's flagship investigative news show, signaling a dramatic return to the gritty, adversarial journalism that made the program famous. The rumored changes are more than cosmetic — they’re generational, ideological, and reputational.
According to multiple sources cited by The New York Post, Weiss is zeroing in on what she sees as “softness” and leftward drift within “60 Minutes.” That includes possible personnel cuts targeting high-profile correspondents like Scott Pelley and Bill Whitaker, both veteran journalists whose age and editorial choices are suddenly under scrutiny. Pelley, 68, drew internal ire over his very public criticism of CBS’s parent company, Paramount, for settling with Donald Trump over a supposedly misleadingly edited Kamala Harris interview. Whitaker, 74, conducted that same interview — one critics later described as a masterclass in softball journalism.
Meanwhile, Lesley Stahl, 83, who once scoffed at the Hunter Biden laptop story only to see it verified later, is reportedly viewed as a “treasure” by Weiss. That’s a telling distinction. It suggests the looming purge may not be about age, but attitude.
It’s no secret that “60 Minutes” has drifted from its original brand of hard-hitting investigative work toward a hybrid of celebrity profiles, book plugs, and feel-good stories. As one CBS insider reportedly put it, the show has become “the headquarters of book and movie launches.” The recent segment featuring a mentalist guessing Cecilia Vega’s third-grade teacher’s name is emblematic of that drift — amusing, perhaps, but hardly journalism.
Weiss — hired under the mandate to restore “balance” at CBS — appears to be operating with both urgency and a scalpel. She’s reportedly working in step with executive producer Tanya Simon, who shares her concern that the show has “gone soft.” Their joint mission? Revive the legacy of Mike Wallace, not promote puff pieces with Oz Pearlman or talking points from UFC executives.
The potential return of Catherine Herridge, the ousted CBS investigative reporter who refused to stop pursuing the Hunter Biden story, may be the most revealing signal of where Weiss wants to steer the ship. Herridge's ouster was widely viewed as a political casualty of corporate timidity. Her reinstatement would send a clear message: tough questions are back in style.
Beyond “60 Minutes,” Weiss’s influence may extend further. Gayle King — a marquee name with a high price tag and a show that consistently trails the competition — is said to be on the bubble. And with John Dickerson set to exit CBS Evening News by year’s end, and Maurice DuBois possibly not far behind, the deck is being reshuffled across the network.
In other words, Weiss is not here to blend in. She’s here to draw a line — between what CBS has become, and what it once was.