Longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl nearly quit after clashing with CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss over a haunting news report on Israeli settler violence, according to a report.
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Stahl → quit → report
Stahl, an 84-year-old veteran reporter who has been at the storied news magazine broadcast for 35 years, accompanied a group of Palestinians as they attempted to get to their property — and were violently confronted by Israeli settlers.
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they → accompany → settlers
The powerful piece went through a strict round of screenings with Weiss, who is a staunch supporter of Israel.
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who → go → Israel
The review process apparently became “extraordinarily contentious” and left Stahl frustrated and on the verge of quitting, sources told Status.
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sources → become → Status
Weiss and her deputy managing editor, Charles Forelle, issued Stahl many notes on the piece, and Weiss became “very, very hands-on,” one source said.
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source → manage → piece
Stahl pushed back on some of their notes, which were not specific critiques but broad suggestions, insiders said.
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insiders → push → notes
An “aggressive back-and-forth” began after Forelle suggested holding the piece for a later date, the insiders said.
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insiders → begin → date
However, Stahl pushed for the report to air Sunday and, in the end, won.
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report → push → end
Even though the piece aired, the review screenings continued into Saturday.
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screenings → air → Saturday
Meanwhile, the public listings, usually published Friday, weren't shared until Sunday morning.
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listings → publish → morning
“They didn’t know if it was going to air because the screenings got so heated,” one source told Status.
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source → know → Status
The alleged conflict is reminiscent of the public clash between Weiss and former 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi after her segment on El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison was abruptly pulled off air in December.
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segment → allege → December
At the time, Weiss had wanted to give the Trump administration more time to comment, but it didn’t.
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it → want → time
Weiss was accused of being too Trump-friendly, and Alfonsi later left CBS when her contract expired in May.
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contract → accuse → May
Weiss was tapped to lead CBS News in October 2025, following Paramount Skydance’s $150 million acquisition of her online outlet, The Free Press.
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Weiss → tap → outlet
She previously served as an opinion writer for The New York Times and has described herself as a “radical centrist” and a “Zionist fanatic.”
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She → serve → centrist
In her time at the helm of the company, she has been accused by critics of steering the coverage in a more favorable direction toward the Trump administration and the Israeli government.
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she → accuse → administration
All ‘60 Minutes’ pieces go through a famously rigorous editorial process — which includes edits from editors.
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which → go → editors
This piece received far fewer edits than most,” a CBS spokesperson told Status.
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spokesperson → receive → Status
The Independent has contacted CBS News for more information.
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Independent → contact → information
The alleged incident comes after network leaders apparently intervened in a report about the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, though the piece also ended up making it to air, according to the report.
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piece → allege → report
The piece was met with pushback over the inclusion of the death toll from the war in Gaza, insiders told Status.
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insiders → meet → Status
In the end, the figure was not aired.
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figure → air → end
Holly Williams, the foreign correspondent who penned the report, was left frustrated by the edit and also left her contemplating whether she would stay at CBS long term, according to the report.
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she → pen → report
The Aporia
