Top ‘60 Minutes’ Producer Quits in Latest Blow to MAGA-Curious CBS Boss

Key Points:

• Michael Gavshon, a longtime 60 Minutes producer with over four decades at CBS News, has resigned amid significant upheaval at the newsmagazine, planning to stay until the end of June.
• Gavshon's departure follows controversial changes at CBS News after Bari Weiss took control last year, including her involvement in contentious stories and staff resignations, notably Anderson Cooper's exit in February.
• Several key 60 Minutes staff members were fired in a recent purge dubbed "Black Thursday," including executive producer Tanya Simon and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, with Weiss appointing Nick Bilton, a non-broadcast news veteran, as Simon's replacement.
• The shakeup sparked internal conflict, with correspondent Scott Pelley confronting Bilton and subsequently being fired; only three correspondents—Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim—are confirmed to remain, though they distanced themselves from the current leadership.
• Weiss, appointed to attract conservative viewers, faces harsh criticism from former CBS staff, including Steve Kroft, who accused her of mismanaging the network and advancing others' agendas rather than demonstrating leadership talent.