Bari Weiss speaks onstage during Book Club Event With Peggy Noonan on Nov. 19, 2024, in New York City.
As CBS makes massive changes to its flagship news program, “60 Minutes,” some staffers were so dismayed that they openly cried and had emotional outbursts, which got the attention of legacy media outlets.
Former CNN reporter and “Status” founder Oliver Darcy’s write-up about recent staff departures reads like an obituary.
He interviewed various staff members who were upset at CBS Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and owner Larry Ellison for shaking things up to improve ratings and restore public trust.
“Tears flowed openly in the newsroom,” Darcy’s Thursday article read. “Staffers exchanged texts expressing not only heartbreak, but genuine anger at Weiss and Ellison for upending a program they treasure.”
“They’re gutting us,” one staffer declared. “It’s over. I don’t see how ‘60’ will be able to function after this.”
Another employee dropped an angry expletive after saying, “Goodnight and good luck.” One senior staffer added, “It hurts. We feel violated.”
Earlier this month, CBS allowed correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi’s contract to expire following criticism directed at Weiss. On Thursday, executive producer Tanya Simon and correspondent Cecilia Vega were also let go, along with executive editor Draggan Mihailovich, according to Mediaite.Moreover, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who is an occasional 60 Minutes correspondent, will not have his contract renewed.
In a world where podcasting and streaming services have caused broadcast news to bleed millions of viewers, change was inevitable. Yet Darcy described Weiss as “widely disliked and distrusted” for simply trying to make the network competitive again.
This all comes a little over a year after Bill Owens, former executive producer of “60 Minutes,” resigned while citing loss of creative control.
It’s no surprise that the media is treating this like a funeral.
“60 Minutes” began as a trusted global brand. In recent decades, however, it has become a platform for Democratic Party talking points and attacks against conservatives, specifically President Donald Trump.
In an agreement announced back in July 2025, CBS parent company Paramount agreed to settle with Trump for $16 million over their deceptive editing of then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ interview when she appeared on the program in October 2024.
Despite claims that the commander-in-chief used Ellison to carry out a vendetta against CBS, many of the network’s wounds were self-inflicted.
Editorial leaders made the unwise decision to alienate over half the country by framing conservatives as the problem and radical liberals as the solution, resulting in poor ratings and contempt from average Americans.
The kind of reporting done by “60 Minutes” in recent years was one of the main reasons Trump was able to gain political traction in the first place.
Along with making immigration a central point of his campaigns, the president’s dislike for mainstream media outlets supercharged his base and turned them into a punchline.
Despite all this, left-wing commentators and Democratic politicians have continually pushed conspiracy theories that the president is the main reason for the network’s decline.
Darcy’s article also cited how CBS staff is now “worried openly about the future of a television institution,” and they should be.
The format is ancient, the anchors and hosts are biased, their content is misleading, and they’ve even lost the ability to entertain.
Comedian Stephen Colbert, who took over the iconic “Late Show” from David Letterman, finally saw his program come to a close this month after a disastrous and disappointing run. Despite trying to blame his departure on the White House or corporate mergers, it’s obvious why he was let go.
He was pompous about his personal opinions and preferred to preach politics rather than tell jokes. His ratings were also taking a dive, but that didn’t stop him — and his colleagues — from blaming Trump.
Colbert’s show cost millions of dollars to produce and suffered in the ratings the same way “60 Minutes” has — because its main function was to bash conservatives.
But the public seems to have finally got sick of their absurd political correctness, lack of depth, and pure hatred of Trump.
As CBS seeks a new path forward, no one should envy Weiss’ challenge, as it may already be too late to bounce back from years of yellow journalism.
With its news programs lacking honesty, and its entertainment shows being more akin to propaganda than comedy, she has an uphill climb ahead of her.
No matter what changes are made, viewers will continue to gravitate towards alternative media sources, putting the obsession of biased network programming behind them for good. And that day can’t come fast enough.
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