60 Minutes adds Ross Douthat, Sebastian Junger and other journalists as correspondents and contributors
The news magazine announced several new hires, including columnist Ross Douthat, author Sebastian Junger and former Vice News reporter Gianna Toboni, as it reshapes its roster after recent departures.
The long-running news program 60 Minutes said it is expanding its reporting team with a group of journalists from diverse media backgrounds. Ross Douthat, a conservative opinion columnist for The New York Times, will join as a correspondent, a move the network’s chief editorial officer said is intended to broaden the show’s perspective on political debate.
Executive producer Nick Bilton also confirmed that author Sebastian Junger, known for his long-form reporting and the documentary Restrepo, will serve as a contributor, and that Emmy-winning former Vice News senior correspondent Gianna Toboni will add to the roster in the same capacity.
The announcement noted that the new hires have experience producing books, magazine articles, documentaries, television programs and podcasts, and that they have built audiences on independent platforms. Former CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell was promoted to correspondent, and senior global affairs correspondent Trevor Phillips was named a contributor.
"Our strategy until now has been to cling to the audience that remains on broadcast television. If we stick to that strategy, we’re toast," the chief editorial officer said in a staff memo earlier this year.
Long-time correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim remain on the program.