‘60 Minutes’ Legend Gives Grim Prediction on Bari Weiss’s Future

Key Points:

• Former 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft predicts Bari Weiss’s tenure overseeing the program at CBS News is nearing its end amid ongoing turmoil and controversies under her leadership.
• Kroft suggests Weiss and CBS owner David Ellison, son of Trump donor Larry Ellison, lack the willingness to critically report on the Trump administration, especially as Ellison pursues a major Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition requiring federal approval.
• The conflict traces back to a lawsuit filed by former President Trump against 60 Minutes over a Kamala Harris segment, with Kroft saying Trump has sought to undermine the program and influence Weiss and Ellison to align with his interests.
• Since Weiss’s appointment as CBS News editor-in-chief last October, the network has seen plummeting ratings, multiple firings including longtime correspondents Cecilia Vega, Tanya Smith, and Scott Pelley, and resignations such as Anderson Cooper’s.
• Critics, including Pelley, have accused Weiss of fostering bias and compromising journalistic integrity to appease the Trump administration, raising concerns about the future direction and independence of 60 Minutes and CBS News.