A turbulent first year for Bari Weiss at CBS News
CBS News has spent a turbulent year adjusting to new ownership and the arrival of a highly visible new leader. The changes have brought staff departures, newsroom disputes and continued ratings trouble.
In October, Paramount owner David Ellison appointed Bari Weiss editor-in-chief of CBS News. The move came as part of his $150 million purchase of The Free Press, the outlet Weiss founded.
Even before Weiss arrived, her appointment had become politically charged. It followed Ellison’s $8 billion takeover of Paramount, which critics argued received regulatory approval only after the company settled President Donald Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” segment for $16 million. Ellison and his father, Larry Ellison, have been seen as close to Trump, prompting concern among some liberals that CBS News might shift toward a pro-Trump approach.
Weiss left The New York Times and founded The Free Press. Critics have often described her as a conservative opponent of “woke” politics, though her views are more varied than that label suggests. After joining CBS, she embraced Ellison’s stated goal of appealing to the political center—the “70%,” rather than the left and right fringes. Still, some critics have called her “MAGA-coded.”
Several reports have described Weiss as a hands-on editor, and some of her interventions have led to disputes inside the newsroom.
One early clash involved “60 Minutes” correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi. In December, Weiss delayed Alfonsi’s report on CECOT, a notorious prison in El Salvador. Weiss said the piece was not ready and needed a response from the Trump administration. Alfonsi accused her of making a political decision, while critics argued the delay amounted to suppressing a report critical of Trump. The segment eventually aired in January.
More recently, Weiss reportedly had a tense disagreement with veteran correspondent Lesley Stahl during edits to a “60 Minutes” story about Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. One account said Stahl privately considered leaving. A CBS spokesperson dismissed that report as “ludicrous.”
Other reported disagreements have involved coverage of Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. According to accounts of the dispute, Weiss encouraged journalists to look into allegations of family ties between El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood, upsetting some staff members.
A leaked recording of a meeting also captured a sharp exchange between correspondent Holly Williams and foreign editor Shayndi Raice, whom Weiss had selected for the role. The discussion concerned CBS’s coverage of Israel and the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Raice reportedly warned of possible dismissal on legal grounds and cited insubordination if staff did not follow senior management’s direction.
Anonymous CBS employees have repeatedly shared complaints about Weiss with media reporters during her tenure.
Changes at “60 Minutes” and across the network
“60 Minutes” has seen some of the most significant upheaval. In May, CBS announced a series of departures, including executive producer Tanya Simon and correspondents Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Weiss chose documentary filmmaker and former New York Times columnist Nick Bilton to take over as the program’s lead producer.
Tensions rose again days later at an all-staff meeting. Veteran correspondent Scott Pelley criticized Weiss and Bilton, accusing Weiss of “murdering” the newsmagazine. He also told Bilton, who had no experience in linear television, that his qualifications for the job were limited. Pelley was later dismissed.
Anderson Cooper had already left in February. With his departure and the later exits, “60 Minutes” lost four of its seven correspondents.
In July, Weiss and Bilton announced that New York Times columnist Ross Douthat would join the program. They also named CBS veteran Norah O’Donnell as a correspondent, alongside several contributors. The lineup includes Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim.
Despite the personnel turmoil, the new season has largely kept the familiar format, with only modest changes to the graphics and the people presenting stories. The program has landed several high-profile interviews, including one with an Air Force service member rescued from Iran earlier this year and another with the former husband of Lindsay Clancy. Those exclusives have not produced a clear ratings turnaround, however, and the trend for “60 Minutes” remains unfavorable.
There have been changes elsewhere, too. “CBS Evening News” co-anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois left after about a year in the roles. Weiss selected “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil to lead the evening broadcast.
Dokoupil’s debut was affected by technical problems and drew attention for a lighthearted salute to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. One of the program’s senior producers was also dismissed just days into the relaunch.
O’Donnell moved into Dokoupil’s former seat on “CBS Mornings,” alongside Gayle King and Nate Burleson. She previously co-hosted the program, then known as “CBS This Morning,” from 2012 to 2019.
Weiss also recruited ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman for a senior reporting role. CBS reporter Scott MacFarlane, meanwhile, left the network.
Ratings remain a major challenge
CBS News has long trailed ABC and NBC in the ratings, making a turnaround a difficult assignment for Weiss—especially within a single year. The network’s morning and evening programs remain well behind their rivals.
“CBS Mornings” is on track for its lowest-rated year, averaging about 1.7 million viewers, down 12% from the previous year. “Today” averages 2.9 million viewers, while “Good Morning America” draws about 2.8 million.
“CBS Evening News” averages roughly 4 million viewers, placing it well behind “World News Tonight with David Muir” at 8.3 million and “NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas” at 6.5 million. There was one modest bright spot: the CBS broadcast ended October with a 16% increase compared with October 2025.
“Face the Nation” remains CBS’s strongest performer against its direct Sunday competitors, averaging 2.9 million viewers. ABC’s “This Week” averages 2.69 million, and NBC’s “Meet the Press” averages 2.5 million. “Meet the Press” leads among viewers aged 25 to 54, a group valued by advertisers, with “Face the Nation” in second place.
“60 Minutes” remains CBS News’ most-watched program, but it recorded its weakest October ratings since at least 2000.
Weiss’s first year has been difficult, and the next one may bring more disruption. Paramount’s parent company, Skydance, is beginning to combine the businesses acquired in its $111 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, which includes CNN.
Talk of Ellison giving Weiss oversight of both CBS News and CNN has cooled for now. Meanwhile, industry observers are watching for signs of how Ellison will manage the two news operations as the company looks for ways to reduce costs.
