CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss has reportedly been handed a “blank check” to promote the newly revamped 60 Minutes, following a turbulent stretch at the flagship program.
The show’s 59th season, which premieres September 13, will receive an aggressive marketing push, according to Puck News’ Dylan Byers.
“Sources familiar with the plans say that CBS will blanket the airwaves and major markets with a multipronged, cross-platform campaign to emphasize the show’s new look and feel and commitment to its 60-year legacy,” Byers reported. “Sources couldn’t put a precise figure on the marketing budget, though one said Bari had effectively been given ‘a blank check.’”
Weiss has faced enduring controversy since taking the top job last October, following billionaire David Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount, the parent company of CBS News. Critics have accused her of steering coverage in ways that favor the Trump administration and Israel — allegations she has emphatically denied.
“What’s being called ‘editorial interference’ is in reality the job description of an editor in chief,” Weiss told The Wall Street Journal in June.
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open image in galleryThe Independent has contacted CBS News for comment.
The allegations of interference and bias have coincided with the departure of several veteran 60 Minutes journalists.
Scott Pelley was fired in June after reportedly accusing Weiss of “murdering” the flagship news program. The previous month, Sharon Alfonsi was dismissed following a public clash with Weiss over the decision to pull a segment on a brutal Latin American prison. Anderson Cooper also left the program in May, invoking the importance of editorial “independence” in his final address.
Late last month, CBS News announced a slate of new hires to fill the vacancies left by those departures.
“An exceptional lineup of journalists will be joining 60 Minutes, carrying on its tradition of fearless, independent and impartial reporting,” Nick Bilton, the show’s new executive producer, wrote in a July 28 memo shared on X. “I can’t wait for them to get started.”
Bilton said five journalists would join the weekly broadcast for its 59th season. Ross Douthat, the conservative New York Times opinion columnist and podcaster, and Norah O’Donnell, a CBS News senior correspondent, will serve as correspondents.
O’Donnell, according to Status, has worked to “ingratiate herself with Weiss” and is now “being eyed for a major new role.”
open image in galleryThe flagship news program will also add contributors Sebastian Junger, the journalist and author of The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea; Gianna Toboni, a former senior correspondent at VICE News; and Trevor Phillips, a former Sky News host.
CBS News also announced this week that Ariel Levy, a contributor to The New Yorker, will join the show as a contributor, rounding out the incoming class for the new season.
The upcoming marketing blitz — arriving less than a month before the premiere of the new season — underscores the “considerable expectations for the show amid the scrutiny over [Weiss’] leadership of the network,” Puck News reported.
The season’s reception, the outlet suggested, is likely to serve as a “litmus test” for Weiss’ stewardship of CBS News.