CBS hires veteran broadcaster amid concerns over 60 Minutes overhaul

Sir Trevor Phillips, a former UK broadcaster and public servant, has joined CBS News as senior global affairs correspondent after being recruited by Bari Weiss, who was appointed to lead the network’s news division following a merger involving the parent company. Phillips told The Telegraph that Weiss and her team are tasked with turning around a large news organization, adding that the outcome could be either a major success or a dramatic failure.

Weiss, 42, took over the role after the merger and has overseen a series of staff changes at the flagship program 60 Minutes, prompting criticism from former employees. Among the new hires are commentator Ross Douthat, ex-VICE correspondent Gianna Toboni, war reporter Sebastian Junger, and CBS reporter Norah O’Donnell, who was promoted to full correspondent. Douthat, a New York Times opinion columnist, has been praised by executive producer Nick Bilton as a leading public intellectual, though some television executives have expressed doubt about his suitability for the on-air role.

Industry observers have compared the recent appointments to past anchors of 60 Minutes such as Scott Pelley, Diane Sawyer, Mike Wallace and Ed Bradley, noting that the current hires would not have been considered for the program in earlier eras. Ratings for CBS Evening News and CBS Mornings have declined in recent months, a trend that critics have linked to perceived right-leaning editorial shifts under Weiss’s leadership.