Battle lines drawn at CBS as 60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl ponders future after losing Israel interview to fellow journalist

60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl was blindsided when CBS News Editor-in-chief Bari Weiss swooped in and assigned a high-profile interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to another journalist, according to a new report.

The decision has reportedly led Stahl to reassess her future at the network and further exacerbated already fraught relations between the newsroom and Weiss, whose overhaul of CBS News has courted controversy for months.

Stahl, an 84-year-old veteran correspondent at the storied news magazine broadcast, had been pursuing an on-camera sit-down with Netanyahu, a central figure in the ongoing Iran war, Status reported.

But, she was “upstaged” by Weiss, who personally booked the Israeli prime minister and “handed” the interview to Major Garrett, the outlet’s chief Washington correspondent, who is not a 60 Minutes correspondent, five people familiar with the matter told the outlet.

During the interview, which aired Sunday, Netanyahu made headlines by saying the Middle East conflict, currently paused under a fragile ceasefire, is not over. He also declined to offer a timeline for its conclusion and suggested Israel should wean itself off U.S. military aid.

open image in gallery

A CBS News spokesperson did not challenge Status’ reporting, telling the outlet in a statement: “It’s the editor in chief’s job to make decisions about bookings and interviews. Major is a world-class journalist and did a tough, fair, and newsmaking interview.”

After being informed that Weiss had organized the Netanyahu sit-down and assigned it to Garrett, newsroom staffers felt that the editor-in-chief had “effectively gone around” Stahl and the rest of the 60 Minutes team, according to The Daily Beast, citing Status’ report.

open image in gallery

Stahl — who has interviewed world leaders ranging from Margaret Thatcher to Boris Yeltsin — now faces an uncertain future at the network. Her annual contract expires at the end of the current 60 Minutes season, and she is reportedly weighing whether to return after Weiss “went behind her back.”

It’s not the first time the new boss has clashed with staff at 60 Minutes.

Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi reportedly came into conflict with her over a decision to spike a segment on a notorious El Salvador prison, where the Trump administration had deported dozens of migrants. The piece eventually aired nearly a month later.

open image in gallery

Weiss was tapped to lead CBS News in October, following Paramount Skydance’s $150 million acquisition of her online outlet, The Free Press. She previously served as an opinion writer for The New York Times and has described herself as a “radical centrist” and a “Zionist fanatic.”

In her seven months at the helm of one of the nation’s largest media companies, critics have accused her of steering coverage in a more favorable direction toward the Trump administration and the Israeli government.

Some of the criticism has concerned staffing choices. After elevating Tony Dokoupil to anchor CBS Evening News, she took a hands-on approach to his broadcasts — reportedly rewriting his debut script just minutes before it aired, according to Vanity Fair.

In January, Dokoupil delivered a light-hearted segment on Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a wave of memes about him. At one point, he veered off script, quipping: “Marco Rubio, we salute you. You’re the ultimate Florida Man.”

One unnamed network journalist called the segment “outrageous,” adding, “I don’t think even a MAGA Republican wants to see that in their news.”

Weiss has pushed back on objections to her leadership, insisting she operates independently of both corporate ownership and political pressure from the Trump administration. She has said that, in order to survive, CBS News must adapt.

“The majority of Americans say they do not trust the press; it isn’t because they’re crazy,” she wrote in a memo to staff, according to The New York Times. She has also said that 60 Minutes needs to be more “comprehensive and fair,” and called for more “viral” moments.

The Independent has contacted CBS News for comment.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies