CBS News boss Bari Weiss blindsides Lesley Stahl – Business News
CBS News boss Bari Weiss blindsided “60 Minutes” legend Lesley Stahl by handing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s first main US broadcast interview because the Iran warfare to Major Garrett — a CBS News veteran who isn’t half of the enduring show’s correspondent roster, in accordance with a report.
The resolution surprised staffers as a result of Stahl, the longtime “60 Minutes” star, had spent months attempting to land the Netanyahu sit-down, in accordance with the Status publication. She was bypassed in favor of Garrett — a revered Washington journalist who’s at present chief White House correspondent at CBS News.
The transfer marked the second time in latest months that Weiss reportedly secured a marquee interview for “60 Minutes” solely at hand the task to Garrett as a substitute of one of this system’s own correspondents.
CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett interviewed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “60 Minutes” after CBS News boss Bari Weiss reportedly bypassed longtime correspondent Lesley Stahl. CBS
In March, Weiss tapped Garrett to interview Secretary of War Pete Hegseth — then instructed that the high-profile sitdown air on “60 Minutes” regardless of Garrett not being one of this system’s correspondents, in accordance with Status.
According to Status, tensions erupted after Weiss personally booked Netanyahu for the interview and as soon as again assigned Garrett to conduct it reasonably than Stahl or one other “60 Minutes” correspondent.
The transfer reportedly sparked frustration amongst correspondents and producers, who seen Netanyahu as having successfully gone across the conventional “60 Minutes” group with Weiss’ help.
Some staffers believed Netanyahu most well-liked Garrett as a result of he was seen as a more agreeable interviewer, in accordance with the report.
Status additionally reported that govt producer Tanya Simon resisted airing the interview on “60 Minutes” and floated the likelihood of putting it on one other CBS News program as a substitute.
“60 Minutes” veteran Lesley Stahl had reportedly spent months attempting to land an interview with Netanyahu earlier than the task went to Garrett. Patrick McMullan by way of Getty Images
But logistical issues — together with Garrett not arriving in Israel till late Thursday and Netanyahu being unavailable Friday — in the end narrowed the printed window, leaving “60 Minutes” as the one viable touchdown spot for the Saturday interview, in accordance with the report.
A CBS News spokesperson informed The Post: “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.”
The newest reported flare-up comes as Weiss has more and more asserted editorial control over “60 Minutes” and CBS News, alarming staffers already rattled by reviews of looming shakeups and doable departures.
As beforehand reported by The Post, Weiss has drawn backlash after shelving “60 Minutes” correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi’s controversial CECOT jail report and is reportedly getting ready sweeping adjustments to the storied program — with Alfonsi’s contract set to run out amid uncertainty about her future.
Alfonsi has since retained high-profile legal professional Bryan Freedman — whose previous shoppers embrace Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon — as she braces for a doable exit from the community when her contract expires later this month, in accordance with Page Six Hollywood.
CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss has confronted mounting criticism over her growing affect at “60 Minutes.” Getty Images for Uber, X and The Free Press
Critics inside CBS News have additionally accused Weiss of making an attempt to remake the newsroom in step with her ideological worldview, significantly relating to Israel protection.
The Free Press co-founder has confronted inner resistance from staffers involved that her sturdy pro-Israel views are influencing editorial selections on the Tiffany Network.
Last month, The Post reported that CBS News ousted London bureau chief Claire Day after she allegedly clashed with Weiss over the community’s protection of Iran and Gaza.
Sources stated Day had pushed back in opposition to Weiss during editorial calls over Middle East protection, whereas critics inside CBS accused the community of making use of an ideological “purity test” underneath Weiss’ management.
Last October, The Post reported that Weiss intervened to save lots of the job of pro-Israel correspondent Chris Livesay after he lobbied her instantly over issues he was being sidelined as a result of of his views — whereas veteran overseas correspondent Debora Patta was in the end pushed out during community layoffs.
