CBS Hires Establishment Insider Amid Fears of Corporate-Driven 60 Minutes Overhaul
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CBS News has brought on Sir Trevor Phillips as senior global affairs correspondent, a move orchestrated by Bari Weiss, whose controversial leadership is seen as steering the network toward a more conservative, corporate-friendly agenda. Industry insiders and former staff have voiced concerns about the direction of 60 Minutes, as recent hires reflect a shift away from the program’s legacy of hard-hitting, progressive journalism.
Sir Trevor Phillips, a former UK broadcaster and public servant with deep establishment ties, has joined CBS News as senior global affairs correspondent after being recruited by Bari Weiss, a figure known for her right-leaning stances and recent appointment to lead the network’s news division following a corporate merger. Phillips told The Telegraph that Weiss and her team face the daunting task of overhauling a massive news organization, warning that the results could be either a rare victory for corporate media or a spectacular failure.
Weiss, 42, assumed leadership after the merger and has since overseen a wave of staff changes at 60 Minutes, CBS’s flagship program. These changes have sparked criticism from former employees and progressive observers, who see the new hires as emblematic of a rightward shift. Among them are conservative commentator Ross Douthat, ex-VICE correspondent Gianna Toboni, war reporter Sebastian Junger, and CBS insider Norah O’Donnell, who was elevated to full correspondent. Douthat, a New York Times columnist with a history of reactionary views, has been lauded by executive producer Nick Bilton as a leading public intellectual, though many in the industry question his fit for the program’s storied legacy.
Observers have drawn unfavorable comparisons between the current appointments and legendary 60 Minutes anchors like Scott Pelley, Diane Sawyer, Mike Wallace, and Ed Bradley, noting that today’s hires would never have been considered in the show’s progressive heyday. Ratings for CBS Evening News and CBS Mornings have slumped in recent months, a trend critics attribute to Weiss’s editorial direction, which many see as pandering to right-wing interests at the expense of journalistic integrity.