An insider at CBS News claims that Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss does not listen to others' opinions, which has led to declining ratings for key shows like 60 Minutes and CBS Evening News. Since Weiss took over last October under Paramount CEO David Ellison, several controversial decisions have been made, including the delay of a 60 Minutes segment about Venezuelan migrants. The insider also notes that challenging Weiss's ideas is not tolerated within the newsroom. Meanwhile, ratings for CBS Evening News dropped by negative 3 percent this past season compared to previous years, while 60 Minutes saw slight improvement but remains below last year’s averages.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Bari Weiss, appointed as Editor-in-Chief at CBS News last October under Paramount CEO David Ellison, has faced significant criticism and controversy during her first year. Staffers claim that Weiss does not listen to differing opinions, leading to a series of questionable decisions that have harmed the network's reputation and ratings. One major decision was overhauling the iconic newsmagazine "60 Minutes," resulting in negative headlines and a decline in viewership. Another controversial move involved pulling a segment about Venezuelan migrants sent to an El Salvadoran prison with poor conditions. The fallout included the firing of several high-profile employees on May 18, 2023, dubbed “Black Thursday.” Despite these issues, Weiss continues to operate without meaningful input from her team, maintaining the status quo within CBS despite widespread dissatisfaction and declining ratings.
Written for “CBS News Leadership Controversy” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.65, but every quote it verified points right, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 60852: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-10-06
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.
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ratings → listen → dynamics
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.
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She → tap → anybody
If you don’t agree with what she’s saying or doing, it doesn’t matter.
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it → agree → what
She pretends to hear ideas, but she really doesn’t listen to anyone,” an unnamed source told Page Six.
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source → pretend → Page
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.
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Weiss → start → conditions
The segment aired nearly one month later.
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segment → air → ?
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.
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Simon → dub → deputy
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.
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She → fire → Minutes
She does not love this place.
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She → love → 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.
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Pelley → bring → Times
The network insider who spoke to Page Six insisted that no one can speak up against the boss.
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one → speak → boss
“No one can say, ‘That’s a bad idea.’
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That → say → ?
She looks at you like, ‘You don’t agree with what I’m saying,’ but there isn’t anybody who gets through to her,
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who → look → her
” the insider said.
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insider → say → ?
The network has continued to struggle with ratings for its iconic CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil at the helm.
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network → continue → helm
Dokoupil had co-hosted CBS Mornings for years before he took over CBS Evening News under Weiss.
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he → co → Weiss
The move was criticized, with one network staffer telling The Independent last January that Dokoupil has turned the program into “state TV.”
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Dokoupil → criticize → 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.
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ratings → average → which
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.
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they → compare → viewers
Amid the backlash against Weiss, another network insider offered a different perspective.
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insider → offer → 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.
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insider → ’ → meetings
“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.
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source → think → work
The Independent has reached out to CBS for comment.
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Independent → reach → comment
The Aporia
