Steve Kroft, the longtime CBS News correspondent who spent three decades at “60 Minutes” before retiring in 2019, has delivered a blunt verdict: the iconic Sunday night newsmagazine “no longer exists.”
In an interview with New York Magazine, Kroft said the program that generations of viewers grew up watching has been dismantled. “I think basically ’60 Minutes,’ as the audience has known it, no longer exists,” he said. “The firings are too substantial.”
Kroft’s comments come as CBS News faces a wave of internal turmoil following the appointment of Bari Weiss, the former New York Times opinion editor, as the network’s news leader. The shake-up has included the firing of veteran correspondent Scott Pelley, who publicly accused Weiss of “murdering ’60 Minutes.’”
According to staff accounts, Pelley made the accusation during a tense meeting with the show’s new leadership, including incoming executive producer Nick Bilton. Pelley was fired shortly after. The dismissals also include executive producer Tanya Simon, executive editor Draggan Mihailovich, and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.
Kroft criticized the lack of transparency behind the moves. “There was no stated, valid reason for these firings,” he told New York Magazine. “Also there was the intimidation factor: People had become extremely nervous about what kinds of stories they could suggest, what kinds of stories they could work on, and how any story that would be critical of the Trump administration would face major obstacles to getting on the air.”
The upheaval follows Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of CBS. The media conglomerate’s owner, billionaire David Ellison, has pledged to steer the network toward a more politically “diverse” audience. As part of that shift, Nick Bilton, a former New York Times columnist known for his technology coverage, has been tapped to lead “60 Minutes.”
During a Wednesday morning newsroom call, Weiss defended Pelley’s firing, saying it was due to a breach of trust. “I’m only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect; we cannot do our work without it,” Weiss said, according to a transcript obtained by The Hill. She added that the network had tried to “engage with Scott Pelley and to find a way back,” but that “that’s the path that he chose.”
Weiss praised Pelley’s past work, including his coverage of Havana syndrome and his interview with former Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse, calling them “the kind of stories that have always, always typified ’60 Minutes.’” She expressed confidence that Bilton would continue that tradition when the show returns for its 59th season in September.
Kroft, who dedicated four decades of his career to CBS, remains skeptical. He told New York Magazine that the departures have created a climate of fear among remaining staff, stifling editorial independence and making it harder to pursue stories critical of the Trump administration. The show’s future, he suggested, is uncertain at best.
