CBS News’ controversial Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss “doesn’t listen to anyone,” an insider claims, offering a fiery glimpse into the editorial team's dynamics as ratings plummet.
Since Weiss was tapped to lead the newsroom last October under Paramount CEO David Ellison, who has courted President Donald Trump, a series of her editorial decisions has drawn scrutiny, including an overhaul of the network's top news show, 60 Minutes.
“She doesn’t hear anybody. If you don’t agree with what she’s saying or doing, it doesn’t matter. She pretends to hear ideas, but she really doesn’t listen to anyone,” an unnamed source told Page Six.
Weiss started to make waves months into her tenure over her choice to pull a 60 Minutes segment about Venezuelan migrants sent by the Trump administration to CECOT, an El Salvadoran prison accused of having inhumane conditions. The segment aired nearly one month later.
Then, in a single day last May, dubbed “Black Thursday,” 60 Minutes Executive Producer Tanya Simon was ousted, along with her deputy, Draggan Mihailovich, and correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi.
Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley was fired in early June after he reportedly accused Weiss of destroying the program.
“She is murdering 60 Minutes. She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it, and she’s been doing exactly that,” Pelley said at a staff meeting, according to an audio recording obtained by The New York Times.
The network insider who spoke to Page Six insisted that no one can speak up against the boss.
“No one can say, ‘That’s a bad idea.’ She looks at you like, ‘You don’t agree with what I’m saying,’ but there isn’t anybody who gets through to her,” the insider said.
The network has continued to struggle with ratings for its iconic CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil at the helm.
Dokoupil had co-hosted CBS Mornings for years before he took over CBS Evening News under Weiss. The move was criticized, with one network staffer telling The Independent last January that Dokoupil has turned the program into “state TV.”
CBS Evening News averaged 4.04 million total viewers this past season, down negative 3 percent, Adweek reported late last month, citing data from Nielsen Media Research.
60 Minutes, which the network calls America’s most-watched TV program, also saw ratings slip. Week two of the current season generated 6.77 million viewers, according to Nielsen data shared by Variety.
While the numbers were up compared to the second week of last season, they are below last season’s average of 8.16 million viewers.
Amid the backlash against Weiss, another network insider offered a different perspective.
“There’s constant input from the entire news organization, and [Weiss] frequently commends the points raised by people” during editorial meetings, the insider told Page Six.
“I think most senior leaders across the organization think that she brings a ton of value with her ideas and perspective, and would also say that she is a great listener, who incorporates many other ideas and suggestions into the organization’s work,” the source said.
The Independent has reached out to CBS for comment.
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