Current and former “60 Minutes” staffers and prominent journalists sent a letter to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison demanding protection of “60 Minutes” editorial values and independent journalism after a major internal shakeup and disputes over the show’
A group of “60 Minutes” staffers is no longer waiting quietly for the next round of changes.
In a letter sent to David Ellison, the CBS News boss tied to Paramount Skydance’s leadership, current and former staffers—joined by prominent journalists and actors—demand that Ellison publicly uphold what they describe as the program’s editorial values and commitment to independent journalism.
The letter. shared Monday by Ben Mullins. the New York Times’ media editor. argues that modernizing “60 Minutes” for “new audiences and new delivery approaches” cannot come at the cost of the show’s “editorial integrity.” It warns that the “wholesale dismissal of editorial management. ” without a “public pledge to maintain the values. standards. and traditions of this program. ” puts the legacy of “’60 Minutes’ in jeopardy.”.
The names behind the letter span the show’s history. It is signed by current and former “60 Minutes” staffers as well as other prominent journalists and actors, including Dan Rather, Glenn Close, Alex Gibney and Lowell Bergman.
Ellison—identified in the reporting as the CEO of CBS overlord Paramount Skydance—has placed the editorial changes at CBS News under the control of CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss. HuffPost sought comment from CBS News.
The pressure around “60 Minutes” has built in the wake of a massive shakeup at the program and persistent questions about the show’s future. Breaking Media’s Lachlan Cartwright first announced the letter Sunday on MS NOW. saying he was made aware by sources that the letter would go out to Ellison the following day. Cartwright said. quoting what he was told: staffers are asking David Ellison to “respect editorial values and independent journalism.” He added that another letter was intended to go out last year but “they decided at that point not to do it. ” and said people he spoke with within CBS were “absolutely distraught.”.
As the staffing changes rippled through the newsroom, “60 Minutes” also faced internal disputes that staff say are tied to whether editorial independence is being protected—or quietly eroded.
Anderson Cooper delivered a veiled plea for the show to maintain its integrity and independence during an online “60 Minutes Overtime” episode. The reporting says the fact that Cooper was able to get the message out reportedly infuriated Weiss because she did not receive a heads-up. The same reporting says Cooper may become an employee of Ellison again when Paramount Skydance completes its purchase of CNN’s parent company.
The turmoil has included multiple dismissals. The reporting says “60 Minutes” producer Tanya Simon was dismissed, along with correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. The disputes also spread beyond staff changes into what ends up on air.
Alfonsi, according to the reporting, spoke out against higher-ups after her segment on a notorious prison that housed Trump administration deportees was pulled, though it was later aired.
For Cartwright, the question of what’s driving the revamp is inseparable from the timing. He pointed to “60 Minutes” ratings that he says are up, and asked, “If it ain’t broke, why are they fixing it?”
Cartwright also relayed a conversation with “60 Minutes” alum Steve Kroft, tying the overhaul to Ellison bowing to Trump. Cartwright said Kroft told him: “‘While there’s no smoking gun. Trump’s DNA is all over this.’”
Kroft’s comments fed into Cartwright’s broader description of what he said he learned through reporting. He said he broke the “secret dinner” that David Ellison was having for Trump to honor Trump and the Trump White House before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “in light of the other deal that’s meant to go through for Warner Brothers Discovery.” Cartwright then added that Donald Trump has “always raged against ‘60 Minutes. ’” pointing to the fact that Trump sued the show for $10 billion. which resulted in that settlement.
What staffers are now asking Ellison to do is not subtle. The letter ends by urging him to “send a clear message” to “60 Minutes’s” staff, audience and the broader public that he does “respect and value editorial independence and press freedom.”
The writers frame the stakes as larger than any one episode or internal staffing decision. “What is at stake is not just the future of the most important and enduring television journalism program in this country,” the letter reads, “but the future of free and independent press in America.”
For “60 Minutes” staffers, the question is no longer only whether the show changes. It is whether the people running it are willing to say—publicly and plainly—that the values they believe built the program will survive the shakeup.
60 Minutes David Ellison Paramount Skydance CBS News Bari Weiss editorial independence press freedom Dan Rather Glenn Close Alex Gibney Lowell Bergman Anderson Cooper Sharyn Alfonsi Cecilia Vega Tanya Simon Trump administration deportees
So they’re mad he’s “changing it”… but isn’t that literally the job of a CEO?
I don’t watch 60 Minutes like that but this sounds like corporate drama. Bari Weiss has nothing to do with journalism though? Like she’s a writer not a producer.
Wait are they saying Ellison is trying to control what gets reported? Because I saw a clip where they talked about “new delivery approaches” and I was like okay streaming… but also integrity?? idk. Dan Rather signed it so you know it’s serious I guess.
This whole thing is confusing. It’s called “protect editorial values” but they’re involving actors and journalists like that guarantees anything? Also doesn’t Paramount Skydance already do a bunch of stuff for CBS?? Like which part is the real problem, Bari Weiss control or just “shakeup” vibes. Sounds like they fired the wrong people or nobody knows what’s happening.