CBS News leadership made major changes to 60 Minutes, described as a significant overhaul rather than a minor adjustment. Executive producer Tanya Simon was fired after nearly three decades with the program. Nick Bilton, previously a New York Times technology columnist and documentary filmmaker with no traditional TV news experience, was selected to replace Simon. Correspondent Cecilia Vega was also fired, along with correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi. Alfonsi had previously said she did not expect to return after disputes involving a story about El Salvador’s CECOT prison and harsh conditions for deported Venezuelan men. The shakeup followed broader CBS News changes under new ownership and leadership that appointed Bari Weiss to run the news division.
"On Thursday, CBS News and controversial editor-in-chief Bari Weiss shook up TV news gold standard, "60 Minutes." This isn't a minor tweak or slight change in philosophy. This is a major overhaul. Weiss fired executive producer Tanya Simon, who had been with the program for nearly three decades and is part of CBS News royalty, (Her late father, Bob Simon, was a legendary CBS newsman)."
"While that news alone was a stunner, what came after was even more startling: Weiss chose Nick Bilton, a former New York Times technology columnist and documentary filmmaker who has no real experience in traditional TV news, to replace Simon. In addition, "60 Minutes" correspondent Cecilia Vega was fired, as was correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, who said earlier this week that she didn't expect to return to the iconic show after tangling last year with Weiss over a story."
"That was when Weiss temporarily held a story Alfonsi had done about El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison, where Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration faced harsh conditions. Alfonsi said at the time that the decision to hold the story was a "political" one. On Wednesday, Alfonsi blasted the network on her way out, but that was only a warmup to Thursday's news."
"Thursday's upheaval sent shockwaves through the media industry. It's just the latest quake at CBS News, which has undergone major changes since new ownership, led by Trump-ally David Ellison, hand-picked Weiss to run the news division. Weiss, a former opinion columnist herself, had never worked in TV news before getting this job, and she has been under scrutiny from the start."
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