CBS News declined to renew the contracts of several 60 Minutes correspondents and producers, including longtime reporter Sharyn Alfonsi, following editorial disputes and leadership changes. Alfonsi's contract expired over the weekend of May 24-25, ending nearly 20 years with CBS and more than a decade at 60 Minutes [1, 2, 3].
The leadership, led by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, chose not to renew Alfonsi's contract after intense disagreements over a delayed story on abuses at the El Salvador prison CECOT. Weiss said the delay was editorial, citing the need to obtain on-the-record comments from Trump officials. Critics, including Alfonsi, said the delay appeared politically motivated to protect the Trump administration [2, 3].
Alfonsi accused CBS News of punishing her for refusing to "sanitize factually accurate reporting," saying, "This was not a routine corporate transition; it was a deliberate choice to penalize a journalist," and warning it sent "a chilling message to the entire newsroom" [1]. She added, "Fearless, independent reporting has always been the defining standard at 60 Minutes. Today, CBS management is abandoning that mission, choosing access journalism over accountability and protecting power rather than scrutinizing it" [3].
On May 28, CBS fired multiple 60 Minutes staff including Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, executive producer Tanya Simon, executive editor Draggan Mihailovich, and producer Matthew Polevoy [4, 5]. Weiss described the shakeup as part of a "new approach" to build a show that "thrives in the 21st century" [4]. Bill Owens, a former 60 Minutes executive producer who resigned months earlier over "corporate meddling," accused leadership of "killing 60 Minutes" [5].
Despite the disruption, 60 Minutes wrapped its 58th season in May with 9.1 million average viewers, up 9% from last year, maintaining its spot as the most-watched US news program for 52 consecutive years and generating $206 million in revenue [4]. Nick Bilton has been named the new executive producer, replacing Tanya Simon [5].
Alfonsi announced her departure in a May 27 memo, stating, "The message could not be clearer: my time at 60 Minutes is apparently over" [2]. CBS News faces mounting questions over editorial independence as the show undergoes its most significant personnel changes in decades.
