Lead
Ten months into her tenure as editor-in-chief of CBS News, Bari Weiss faces a critical test as the new season of “60 Minutes” prepares to premiere. The show, long considered a gold standard in television news, still attracts an average of nine million viewers per night — a significant audience in an era of declining linear television. Weiss overhauled the show’s correspondent corps and production staff in the spring, a move that has raised concerns about how viewers will respond.
Coverage Comparison
Reporting on Weiss’s leadership and the recent hires at “60 Minutes” comes from two outlets, each with a distinct focus. The Guardian emphasizes the broader challenges facing Weiss, including ratings struggles at other CBS programs and concerns about the show’s future. The Intercept, by contrast, focuses on a specific new hire — an associate producer whose past work has drawn criticism — and frames Weiss’s broader editorial direction as part of a rightward shift at the network.
Key Claims
Weiss’s Changes at CBS News
Weiss was appointed editor-in-chief of CBS News in October 2025 after Skydance Media, owned by David Ellison, acquired CBS parent company Paramount and subsequently bought Weiss’s website, the Free Press, for a reported $150 million. According to The Guardian, Weiss has overhauled the “60 Minutes” correspondent corps and production staff, ousting several top correspondents and producers. The changes have raised concerns about the show’s future, particularly given that a ratings drop would be devastating for both CBS and Weiss.
Ratings data cited by The Guardian show that CBS Evening News has not meaningfully increased its audience since Weiss brought in a new anchor, and CBS Mornings has recently hit new weekly lows in viewership. These struggles come as CBS News has long trailed ABC and NBC in both morning and evening newscasts.
The Guardian also quotes British commentator Sir Trevor Phillips, one of Weiss’s new hires to the “60 Minutes” lineup, who described the stakes in an interview with the Telegraph: “Bari and her team have a huge tanker of a network news organization to turn around, and they are assembling a little team on the bridge,” he said. “The great thing about her is that she’s one of those people who will either change the world or crash and burn. But when they crash and burn, it’s in Technicolor.”
The Intercept reports that Weiss’s takeover of CBS News has been marked by high-profile firings, scandals, and credible allegations of undermining journalistic independence, including allegations of “Trump toadyism” and a broader editorial push to the right. The Intercept also suggests that the Ellison family’s documented support for Israel is a factor in Weiss’s appointment, noting that Weiss was put in place by David Ellison because of her years of strident, pro-Israel coverage.
The New Hire: Lukyanova
The Intercept reports that Weiss’s latest hire for “60 Minutes” is Lukyanova, an associate producer whose past work includes video and research for the Wall Street Journal, the New Yorker, and Semafor. The Intercept’s coverage characterizes her previous output as including “smearing genocide victims” and “putting a target on the backs of reporters in Gaza,” though the specific articles or statements are not detailed in the provided material.
According to The Intercept, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 240 media workers since October 2023, a figure that underscores the sensitivity of the hire in the context of media coverage of the conflict.
Perspectives
The Guardian’s View
The Guardian presents Weiss’s leadership as a high-stakes gamble, emphasizing the ratings challenges and the pressure on “60 Minutes” to perform. The tone is neutral, focusing on the business and editorial implications of her changes.
The Intercept’s View
The Intercept is critical of Weiss’s direction, framing her hiring decisions as part of a “right-wing tabloidification” of “60 Minutes” and questioning the journalistic integrity of the network under her leadership. The piece highlights the alleged conflict between Weiss’s ideological leanings and the show’s traditional reputation.