Scott Pelley’s bombshell interview with the New York Times over the weekend, after he was fired from “60 Minutes,” has drawn even more scrutiny to the management style of Bari Weiss, who took over as director of CBS News in October. A former print journalist who founded the website Free Press, she had no television experience when Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison appointed her as editor-in-chief and was known to have preconceived notions about some important topics, including declining trust in mainstream media and fervent support for Israel.
In an emotional exchange with the Times, Perry said Weiss’ inexperience with the medium undermined the work being produced by the Paramount Skydance press organization. “We need adult supervision, and right now we don’t have it. Some of the people who are in these jobs, through no fault of their own, have no experience in television. They don’t know what they’re doing,” Perry said. “And there’s a subtle political bias that I’ve never seen before on 60 Minutes or CBS News. So that’s my hope: that sanity is restored.”
CBS News is “on fire” under Weiss, he added.
CBS News has refuted Perry’s claims, but publicly Weiss is likely to be subject to ongoing audits. In her most audacious move, she ordered CBS News to fire senior executives at “60 Minutes,” CBS’ flagship property and one of its journalistic crown jewels. About two weeks ago, CBS News fired “60 Minutes” executive producer Tanya Simon. Dragan Mihajlović, Program Editor-in-Chief. Correspondents Sharin Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. and senior producers Guy Campanile and Matthew Paulvoy. Within days, Perry was also dispatched after some verbal sparring with the show’s new leader, Nick Bilton. The most-watched news program in the United States has only three correspondents left and must prepare stories for the fall.
A person familiar with CBS News operations said the news magazine’s entire staff is “in a state of stagnation.” “They want to know what this means?”
Weiss is passionate about pushing CBS News to the forefront of social and digital, and some of CBS News’ challenges were in place before she started. But Weiss’s management style has undermined her progress, according to five people familiar with CBS News operations, who described her demeanor as “very royal” or “very aloof.” Sources say she does not have close ties to major talent or top producers and, unlike a typical TV news chief, is not often seen around studios or control rooms. Her support is being sacrificed as she attempts to make some very big changes to her business.
When Mr. Weiss joined the company, “there was some skepticism,” said one CBS News staffer. “It took a toll on both sides. There was a breach, and everyone pulled out. Mr. Bari now sits in a new office on the sixth floor and rarely appears in the newsroom.” Mr. Weiss began attending meetings with CBS News executives in April, according to a person familiar with the matter. And Paramount has held talks in recent weeks with company executives who could help Weiss navigate an unfamiliar process.
Many insiders wonder if this press operation will still exist by the time she finishes it.
“Television is dying, we know it,” said one person familiar with CBS News. “But there are still a lot of reporters reporting, trying to get their stories, and asking questions of the White House.” CBS News staffers don’t understand what Weiss and his team are doing to help them “while trying to do their jobs.”
The 2026 midterm elections typically draw larger viewers and associated advertising dollars to news programs. Mr. Weiss, who presides over a series of influential programs including “60 Minutes,” “CBS Evening News,” “CBS Sunday Morning,” “CBS Morning,” “48 Hours” and “Face the Nation,” generated $362 million in 2025, according to guidelines that track advertising spending. said Sean Wright, the company’s chief insights and analytics officer. Halfway through this year, CBS still has a 22% dollar share. ”
But if CBS News is perceived as partisan or lacks credibility, marketers may shift support elsewhere. Until now, broadcast news has been seen as less polarizing than rival cable TV news, said a media buyer who helps advertisers decide where to run their commercials. “People stayed with broadcast news because they felt safer there,” the buyer says. “Well, I don’t think it’s safe anymore.”
After leaving his position as an opinion writer at the New York Times, Mr. Weiss became widely known for slamming “woke” guards who pressured him not to publish analysis that did not conform to leftist agendas. She launched Free Press, a digital site that attracted the attention of both billionaires and politicians. Paramount CEO Ellison has launched an experiment of sorts to see if online provocateurs can lead mainstream TV news departments into the future.
Some of her efforts are gaining attention. CBS News has conducted timely interviews with everyone from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to President Donald Trump. CBS News executives are proud of stories examining hospice fraud in California and the Pentagon’s lack of preparedness for attacks on U.S. military bases in Kuwait, according to people familiar with the matter.
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean for leadership studies at Yale University’s School of Business, said Weiss’s lack of television management experience and political beliefs do not disqualify him from running a news organization. The news industry is full of unconventional leaders, including Fox News’ Roger Ailes and CNN’s Tom Johnson, both of whom spent more time in politics than in newsrooms.
What hurts Weiss, he says, is that she can’t seem to make significant moves without volatility. “The problem is, she likes to stir up a storm.” Sonnenfeld said Weiss may have been right to question Alfonsi’s “60 Minutes” segment, which investigated how the Trump administration deported immigrants to harsh prisons in El Salvador. But she did it at the “12th hour,” when the film had already received multiple approvals. There was no controversy surrounding the segment, which was supposed to air in late December, until Weiss ordered it to take place.
CBS News’ rivals are also making changes, but with significantly fewer theaters. MS NOW is adding an hour packed with Crooked Media podcasts to its weekend lineup, preparing a new streaming outlet aimed at encouraging its community of viewers to spend more time with its content. FOX News has signed a licensing agreement with the people responsible for the conservative podcast Ruthless. CNN has launched programming that has alarmed some veterans, including a 10 p.m. “Newsnight” roundtable show that centers on arguments between participants. CNN’s new personality, data guru Harry Enten, appears more often than at any other time. None of these moves will disrupt the day-to-day operations of news organizations.
CBS News’ competitors can’t look away, but they have little reason to copy Weiss’ tactics. “Instead of 60 Minutes leading the journalistic news cycle, it’s now known for drama,” said one rival TV news executive.
People who have met Weiss describe her as highly intelligent and full of interesting ideas. She seeks to develop unique perspectives on stories in the news cycle and actively engages with those who take provocative views on issues. Some liken her to a college professor who has deep knowledge of a particular subject but is unaware that she lacks expertise in other areas that may be essential to her ability to succeed.
Managing “60 Minutes” is not for the faint of heart. For decades, its producers and correspondents have enjoyed freedoms unknown in modern media conglomerates, until recently. News magazines are under new scrutiny as TV viewers shift to streaming, putting a strain on Paramount, and as President Trump focuses on how different news outlets report on his policies.
And Weiss and her agents, including CBS News deputy editor Adam Rubenstein and recently appointed editor-in-chief Charles Forell, often have story ideas for different shows. “If we like it or it works for our audience, we accept it; if it doesn’t, we don’t accept it,” says a CBS News staffer. “I don’t think ’60’ is used to that. We’ve worked under this hermetic seal for decades.” Some CBS News staffers think Perry could have dealt with Bilton softer and stayed on the show.
At a January staff gathering at City Hall, Weiss vowed to act with extreme urgency. “We’re not building products that enough people want. You can blame demographics, technology, attention span fragments, or ‘news avoidance,’ but these are all coping mechanisms,” she said, noting that her mission is “to make CBS News fit for purpose in the 21st century.” But in doing so, she now seems to be losing her ability to manage the place.
