6 days ago
Amid rising questions astir nan show’s editorial integrity, CBS News connected Thursday announced major changes for nan Sunday newsmagazine show 60 Minutes, appointing nan erstwhile New York Times tech journalist Nick Bilton arsenic executive shaper for nan show’s 59th season, which originates successful nan fall.
Tanya Simon, nan girl of legendary 60 Minutes analogous Bob Simon, has been ousted arsenic nan show’s apical producer, a domiciled she took connected aft the resignation of longtime executive shaper Bill Owens successful nan outpouring of 2025.
The web has besides parted ways pinch Cecilia Vega, a 60 Minutes analogous who joined nan programme successful 2023, and Draggan Mihailovich, nan executive editor who had spent decades connected nan show.
Earlier connected Thursday morning, a typical for nan seasoned analogous Sharyn Alfonsi confirmed that she was terminated by nan network. Alfonsi had said a time earlier that her statement had not been renewed, but that she remained an at-will employee.
In a blistering statement, Alfonsi called retired nan network’s decision-making and claimed that she was penalized for pushing backmost connected Weiss’s criticisms of her December 2025 conception astir a notorious situation successful El Salvador.
In a connection connected Thursday provided to nan Guardian, Vega confirmed that she was fired by CBS contempt having until almost a afloat twelvemonth near connected her contract. And for illustration Alfonsi, she suggested governmental bias astatine play astatine nan network.
“I person nan utmost respect and admiration for my colleagues astatine 60 Minutes and nan stories that aerial each Sunday. But I very overmuch fearfulness what comes adjacent for and nan early of nan legendary broadcast,” she said.
“In caller months, my producing teams and I person knowledgeable efforts to insert governmental bias into our stories. Reporting teams person held backmost connected submitting communicative pitches astir important news topics retired of fearfulness of nan soul repercussions.
“Let’s telephone this what it is: censorship, some imposed and self-driven. It is vulnerable for nan show and vulnerable for democracy.”
Vega said she has discussed her concerns pinch different colleagues connected nan show. “I cognize from galore conversations pinch colleagues that galore producing teams and correspondents moving connected nan show coming person had to conflict to support editorial independency pinch regularity,” she said. “I americium acold from nan only 60 Minutes analogous who has asked herself, ‘What is my individual reddish line? How overmuch tin I push backmost earlier I salary nan price?’”
All told, nan moves connected Thursday correspond 1 of nan astir important shake-ups of nan venerable program, which has for 52 consecutive seasons been nan astir watched news programme connected television, averaging 9.1 cardinal full viewers successful its astir caller season.
But Bilton’s assignment is nan astir important move – and 1 that will astir apt make power from nan unit of 60 Minutes, who person been loyal to Simon and viewed her promotion to executive shaper past twelvemonth arsenic an denotation that nan caller activity of CBS News genitor institution Paramount wanted to sphere nan show’s winning formula.
“Nick Bilton is 1 of nan astir entrepreneurial and eager journalists moving today,” Bari Weiss, nan CBS News editor-in-chief, wrote successful a post connected X. “I americium thrilled that he is nan adjacent executive shaper of 60 Minutes.”
In a memo to staffers, Bilton called nan occupation nan “honor of [his] career.” He acknowledged nan show’s vaunted history but nodded to changes successful really group devour nan news.
“The truth that this show has remained a hole constituent successful a civilization is portion of why this show still matters arsenic overmuch arsenic it does. I don’t want to suffer that,” he wrote. “But nan world we are reporting on, and nan world we are reporting to, wherever group devour their news, has moved. And if we don’t move pinch it, successful nan ways that matter, we won’t beryllium present for nan adjacent sixty years. I want to do everything humanely imaginable to guarantee that we are.”
While Bilton has a lengthy profession arsenic a tech journalist and documentary film-maker, he has not produced a broadcast tv program, and surely not 1 pinch nan history and complexities of 60 Minutes. Weiss besides began her domiciled arsenic editor-in-chief of nan web successful October 2025 pinch a inheritance successful sentiment commentary but no experience successful tv news.
“Evolving aliases dying isn’t a threat. It’s elemental math,” Bilton wrote successful nan memo. “My work is not conscionable technological transformation. It is besides our spot pinch nan public.”
Laying retired his attack arsenic executive producer, Bilton wrote: “I’m present to lead this show, not sphere it nether glass. That intends honoring what useful and being honorable astir what doesn’t. I person a notebook afloat of ideas. Some are astir nan show itself. Some are astir nan adjacent procreation of correspondents. Some are astir nan unusual truth that we nutrient 1 bonzer hr for 1 nighttime a week successful a world that consumes contented astir nan clock. I’m excited to stock them, and I’m assured you’ll beryllium excited by them, too.”
Bilton said he hoped to meet pinch nan unit of nan show and would travel backmost pinch a conflict scheme successful astir a month.
“This is nan champion occupation successful journalism,” he wrote. “I can’t hold to present myself and meet each of you.”
Still, successful nan memo and successful an question and reply pinch nan New York Times, Bilton shared small astir what changes he really plans to make – though he and his caller bosses person talked astir trying to grow nan marque beyond nan Sunday show.
CBS News insiders had long anticipated that Weiss and her activity squad planned to make changes to nan show, pinch immoderate worrying that it could tarnish nan program’s estimation and awesome ratings. By ousting aggregate correspondents and apical producers, Weiss has undoubtedly put her stamp connected nan broadcast – and will return nan reputational deed if nan show’s ratings suffer travel this fall.
In summation to Alfonsi and Vega, nan formed for nan show’s 59th play will not see Anderson Cooper, a CNN anchor, who announced successful February that he will not beryllium returning to nan show, saying he wanted to give much clip to his family.
Alfonsi’s exit was expected aft her conflict pinch Weiss, and nationalist comments past period decrying what she said was “the dispersed of firm meddling and editorial fear” astatine CBS News. She expanded connected those remarks successful her lengthy connection connected Wednesday.
“In nan coming days, web activity whitethorn effort to hide down firm euphemisms for illustration ‘modernization’ and ‘restructuring’ to explicate distant my departure,” Alfonsi said. “Don’t beryllium misled. This was not a regular firm transition; it was a deliberate prime to penalize a journalist for refusing to sanitize factually meticulous reporting, and it sends a chilling connection to nan full newsroom.”
In her ain connection connected Thursday, Vega offered encouragement to her colleagues who are remaining pinch 60 Minutes. (The Times first reported Vega’s comments.)
“Today I mislaid an astonishing job,” she said. “But I still person my integrity. To my erstwhile colleagues, proceed to clasp nan line.”
