Key facts
- Bari Weiss is 10 months into her tenure as editor-in-chief of CBS News.
- The upcoming season of 60 Minutes will be a major test for Weiss following staff overhauls.
- CBS Evening News and CBS Mornings have seen declining viewership under Weiss's leadership.
- Weiss made significant changes to 60 Minutes, including ousting several correspondents and producers.
- New hires for 60 Minutes include opinion columnist Ross Douthat and commentators Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni, and Sir Trevor Phillips.
Bari Weiss, 10 months into her role as editor-in-chief of CBS News, is facing her most significant challenge with the upcoming premiere of the revamped 60 Minutes.
Weiss has undertaken a broad overhaul of CBS News since her appointment in October 2025, following Skydance Media's acquisition of Paramount and Weiss's website, The Free Press. While journalists have continued to break significant stories, her programming changes have yet to yield substantial audience growth.
The CBS Evening News, under new anchor Tony Dokoupil, saw a 7% viewership decline in early 2026 compared to the previous year, averaging 3.81 million total viewers in July. This performance lags significantly behind NBC Nightly News and ABC's nightly broadcast. Similarly, CBS Mornings has experienced declining viewership, hitting historic lows in late July.
Despite these struggles, 60 Minutes has maintained strong ratings, averaging 9.1 million viewers in its last season. However, Weiss recently made substantial changes to the program, ousting correspondents Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi, and Cecilia Vega, along with executive producer Tanya Simon. Remaining correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim have agreed to stay amidst the changes.
New additions to the 60 Minutes team include New York Times opinion columnist Ross Douthat as a correspondent, and contributors Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni, and British commentator Sir Trevor Phillips. The high stakes were underscored by Sir Trevor Phillips, who described Weiss's task as turning around a "huge tanker" and noted she is someone who will "either change the world or crash and burn."
Concerns about Weiss's performance have persisted, with reports suggesting her mandate at CBS might be altered. However, Paramount and David Ellison have publicly supported her leadership. Speculation also suggests Weiss could potentially oversee CNN if Paramount Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery is completed.