Major Shakeup at ’60 Minutes’ as New Correspondents Join

CBS News has announced significant changes to its ’60 Minutes’ team as it prepares for its 59th season. Bari Weiss, the network’s editor-in-chief, has recruited Ross Douthat from The New York Times to join as a correspondent. Nick Bilton, the new executive producer of ’60 Minutes’, revealed this addition to staff in a memo obtained by media outlets.

Ross Douthat, known for making contentious issues accessible and portraying varied perspectives with depth and empathy, will bring his broad curiosity to the show. Douthat’s departure from The New York Times, where he spent 17 years, was acknowledged by Opinion editor Kathleen Kingsbury, who thanked him for his contributions and commitment to good faith argumentation.

In addition to Douthat, Norah O’Donnell, a seasoned CBS News journalist, will also become a correspondent for ’60 Minutes’. O’Donnell has contributed notable pieces to the program for over a decade, including interviews with prominent figures such as Pope Francis and former Presidents Trump and Biden.

Other new additions to ’60 Minutes’ include journalists and filmmakers like Sebastian Junger, former Vice News correspondent Gianna Toboni, and Trevor Phillips from Sky News. CBS News President Tom Cibrowski, along with Bari Weiss, expressed enthusiasm about welcoming these new members.

These changes follow the firing of several key ’60 Minutes’ staff members, including correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, Scott Pelley, and executive producer Tanya Simon. The dismissals have caused internal tensions and criticism from some areas of the network. Despite these changes, veteran correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim continue with the program.