{"id":842608,"date":"2026-06-04T00:26:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T00:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/842608\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T00:26:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T00:26:18","slug":"cbs-news-staff-anxious-about-whats-next-under-bari-weiss-after-pelley-firing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/842608\/","title":{"rendered":"CBS News Staff Anxious About What’s Next Under Bari Weiss After Pelley Firing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tEXCLUSIVE: <\/strong>\u201cI have been in this business a long time, and I have never seen anything this bad,\u201d a CBS<\/a> News insider told Deadline today amid the fallout of recent firings at 60 Minutes<\/a> and accusations of political interference at the Bari Weiss<\/a>-ruled division.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter a verbal dust-up \u00a0this week between 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley<\/a> and new EP Nick Bilton<\/a> saw the ex-CBS Evening News anchor terminated<\/a> for cause effective immediately late Tuesday, many CBS News<\/a> staffers are wondering, what and who could be next?<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe cover the news, we should never be the news,\u201d a network vet lamented Wednesday as a litany of searing salvos from both sides flew on and offline. \u201cThis is a damn embarrassment,\u201d she added, noting the morale is low and the environment \u201cclosed-door toxic\u201d at CBS News today.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: <\/strong>Scott Pelley Responds To Bari Weiss, Says She Misled Staffers About What Transpired In Final Meeting With CBS News Brass<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Scott<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tScott Pelley on \u201960 Minutes\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t60 Minutes via YouTube<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso, CBS Evening News has suffered from constant weak or declining viewership and amateur-hour missteps since Weiss installed Tony Dokoupil<\/a> as anchor in January.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: <\/strong>Fired Scott Pelley Decries \u201cHeartbreaking\u201d Submission To Trump By CBS, Paramount: \u201cIncompetence & Unprofessionalism In The New Management Have Wreaked Havoc\u201d<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tWhether it is blush-worthy or not, the past year since David Ellison<\/a> took over parent company Paramount and especially since Free Press founder Weiss was given the new gig<\/a> of editor-in-chief, has seen a parade of exits on both sides of the camera on the acclaimed newsmagazine.<\/p>\n

\n\tNot only has 37-year network veteran Pelley been shown the door after questioning the intentions and qualifications<\/a> of both Weiss and Bilton, but 60 Minutes alone lost Anderson Cooper<\/a> at the end of its 58th season last month despite Weiss\u2019 efforts to retain the CNN star. Additionally, last month saw correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi<\/a> and Cecilia Vega axed<\/a>, along with executive producer Tanya Simon and other top producers.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: \u201cI Hope \u201860 Minutes\u2019 Remains \u201860 Minutes\u2019\u201d: Anderson Cooper Signs Off CBS Newsmagazine With Tribute To Its Quality And Independence<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHow are we going to even be able to put on a show next season?\u201d a longtime staffer said today of 60 Minutes, which was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard and premiered in 1968. \u201cWe are running out of time and people here, and we need both.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Lesley<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom left: Remaining \u201960 Minutes\u2019 correspondents Lesley Stahl<\/a>, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCBS<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the immediate term, as former top staffers lawyer up and a he said\/they said clash emerges over how the blunt Pelley\u2019s final days at CBS were handled, there is the question of whether the three remaining full-time correspondents at\u00a060 Minutes\u00a0will remain.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: <\/strong>CBS News Vs. Sharyn Alfonsi Could End Up In Court As Bari Weiss Fires Ex-\u201860 Minutes\u2019 Correspondent<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tLesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim have yet to issue a public statement. The trio are said to be \u201ctaking a breath\u201d and assessing the situation, sources say.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs Weiss indicated in a call with staff earlier Wednesday, CBS News leadership are in the process of looking to add new hires. There also has been speculation that existing CBS News talent will contribute more frequently to the show, as Major Garrett recently interviewed Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Fromer CBS Evening News anchor Norah O\u2019Donnell already serves as contributing correspondent, in addition to her other roles at the network. Some speculate that O\u2019Donnell soon could be assigned an even greater role at CBS News.<\/p>\n

\n\tOthers see the forced departure of Pelley as the burning of Weiss\u2019 bridges at CBS News.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWeiss has lost the trust of the troops \u2014 she can\u2019t stay,\u201d one exec stated, predicting that the former New York Times writer would return to running the Ellison-purchased Free Press in the next few months.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: <\/strong>Cecilia Vega Blasts CBS After Firing From \u201860 Minutes,\u2019 Calls Out \u201cCensorship, Both Imposed And Self-Driven\u201d<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tDespite the friction and faceplants, Weiss\u2019 position still appears secure as she enjoys the backing of Ellison as Paramount moves ahead on its $111 billion acquisition<\/a> of CNN owner Warner Bros Discovery with help from good friend Donald Trump<\/a> and his administration.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tParamount Skydance chairman and CEO David Ellison before Donald Trump\u2019s 2026 State of the Union address<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Images<\/p>\n

\n\tThere also is a contingent inside CBS News and the overall network that views some of the changes Weiss has instigated as long overdue for a 21st century media organization. \u201cPeople at CBS News, both talent and staff, are not big fans of 60 being so siloed,\u201d we heard. \u201cThey believe it needs to be integrated into the larger newsroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCertainly, among staffers outside of\u00a060 Minutes, the show has long been been viewed as an entity of its own, free from the daily grind and, as one of the network\u2019s most watched shows, traditionally given a level of independence. Still, while some admit that \u201cchange is hard\u201d and it was no secret Weiss had the newsmagazine in her sights with big changes planned, the wave of recent firings came as a harsh surprise.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: <\/strong>CBS News Vs. Sharyn Alfonsi Could End Up In Court As Bari Weiss Fires Ex-\u201860 Minutes\u2019 Correspondent<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tAgreeing or not, some staffers simply want to move forward, given the daily news demands. However, many of those we spoke with fault Weiss and her new-ish team for their handling of the situation.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe cover the news, we should never be the news,\u201d a CBS News insider decried. \u201cThis is an embarrassment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTo that, or maybe because of it, Wednesday night\u2019s edition of CBS Evening News had an item on Pelley\u2019s exit and praise for the seasoned journalist from Dokoupil.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the same time, some believe that Pelley could have avoided the very public showdown with Bilton, which quickly drew headlines on Monday, though he has drawn support from\u00a060 Minutes\u00a0veterans for pushing back and for raising the issue of trust.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: <\/strong>Former \u201860 Minutes\u2019 Executive Producer Bill Owens Praises Scott Pelley For Speaking Out, Blasts CBS News For Purge Of Top Staffers And Correspondents<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tOn social media, there was a great deal of mourning over 60 Minutes and its future, countered by criticism, mainly on the right.<\/p>\n

\n\tPelley \u201coverplayed his hand,\u201d in the words of Katie Miller, the MAGA<\/a>-loyalist podcaster and wife of top Trump aide Stephen Miller. \u201cThere isn\u2019t a market for his type of $5 million\/year biased journalism. This is what happens when you work to become the story instead of report on it,\u201d Miller wrote. It should be noted, in what is viewed as yet another bauble for Trump to secure the WBD bid, Paramount has had talks about a distribution deal for Miller\u2019s not-that-popular podcast.<\/p>\n

\n\tYet, in the lead-up to the firings last week, insiders talked of Weiss\u2019 desire to secure \u201cthe next generation of talent,\u201d in addition to efforts to save money in tight-pursed economy.<\/p>\n

\n\tStill, many of the comments from those who worked with Pelley through the years were supportive of his legacy.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: <\/strong>\u201860 Minutes\u2019 Executive Producer Replaced In Shakeup Of CBS News\u2019 Top Show; Nick Bilton To Lead Broadcast, Cecilia Vega Exiting<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tBrinda Adhikari, a former producer at the network, wrote on X: \u201cFor those who think Scott Pelley was part of the problem, you are wrong. Yes he could be rigid and a stickler for certain traditions. But I will tell you now the Gen Z people I worked w all loved him. Like me, they forgave a lot of his boomer ways bc we were in awe of investigations he did using hidden cameras exposing snake oil salesmen hurting Americans; showing us how Assad was using chemical weapons on his own people; the pain of rural Americans waiting for half a day to get affordable healthcare in a parking lot of a mobile clinic; his searing interviews w survivors of mass shootings.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe guy made me a better thinker and a better journalist.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: <\/strong>Sharyn Alfonsi Rips CBS News\u2019 \u201cChilling\u201d MAGA Appeasement As \u201860 Minutes\u2019 Contract Ends; Paramount Rebuffs Fears About CNN Future<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

I worked at CBS News for almost 6 years. It was a place that frequently drove me crazy bc of how resistant it was to change. How difficult it was to get things done bc you had to fight so many people and their \u201cCronkite and Murrow would roll over in their graves if they saw\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Brinda Adhikari (@brindaadhikari) June 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n\tIn the end, personalities and politics aside, it might be the money that does the real talking.<\/p>\n

\n\tParamount Skydance\u2019s stock took a thwack Wednesday. <\/p>\n

\n\tFacing a debt load of more than $80 billion out of the WBD deal, the company saw a 3% slide in the aftermath of Pelley\u2019s firing and the spectacle at CBS News. Not killer, especially for a CEO with a rumored high pain threshold, but not a good look heading into megamogul-land.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: \u201cI have been in this business a long time, and I have never seen anything this bad,\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":837604,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[9],"tags":[15327,27602,127560,15328,26871,32129,69,171,27596,7042,27598,201939,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-842608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-60-minutes","tag-anderson-cooper","tag-bari-weiss","tag-cbs","tag-cbs-news","tag-david-ellison","tag-donald-trump","tag-entertainment","tag-lesley-stahl","tag-maga","tag-scott-pelley","tag-tony-dokoupil","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116689004319694695","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=842608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842608\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/837604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=842608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=842608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=842608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}