CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is planning a major overhaul of the iconic TV newsmagazine "60 Minutes," with potential casualties including veteran star anchors Scott Pelley and Bill Whitaker, sources told the New York Post.
The shakeup aims to revitalize the program by infusing more aggressive, Mike Wallace-style investigative journalism and attracting younger viewers, amid criticisms that the show has "drifted too far left" with "fluff pieces" on topics like mentalists and UFC promoters.
Weiss, who assumed her role on October 6 after Paramount Skydance acquired her digital outlet The Free Press, has met with "60 Minutes" producers and expressed frustration over internal leaks about her plans.
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Pelley, 68, drew ire for an on-air tirade this summer criticizing CBS for settling a $16 million defamation lawsuit with President Trump over alleged deceptive editing of a Kamala Harris interview.
Whitaker, 74, conducted that interview, which Trump claimed featured "softballs." Lesley Stahl, 83—who famously dismissed the Hunter Biden laptop story in 2020—is viewed as a "treasure" by Weiss and likely to stay.
Executive producer Tanya Simon, who took over this summer, has aligned with Weiss in calling for tougher reporting.
Weiss is reportedly reaching out to former CBS investigative reporter Catherine Herridge, known for breaking Hunter Biden laptop stories and later sidelined by the network, as a potential addition to bring fresh, hard-hitting voices.
The changes come after CBS cycled through five news division presidents in five years and lags behind ABC and NBC in viewership, though "60 Minutes" remains a Sunday ratings powerhouse with 10 million tuning into its season premiere.