Lesley Stahl Considers Departure Amid CBS News Leadership Tensions

Veteran '60 Minutes' correspondent Lesley Stahl is reportedly considering leaving the program due to recent editorial decisions by CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss. According to reports, Weiss arranged an interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and assigned it to CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett, bypassing Stahl, who had been pursuing the interview for months. This move has intensified existing tensions between Weiss and the '60 Minutes' team.

In March, Weiss similarly assigned an interview with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Garrett, sidelining '60 Minutes' correspondents. A CBS spokesperson stated, "It's the editor in chief's job to make decisions about bookings and interviews. Major is a world-class journalist and did a tough, fair, and newsmaking interview."

Stahl, 84, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the current season, is reportedly weighing her future with the program.

This development follows previous conflicts between Weiss and '60 Minutes' staff, including the last-minute withdrawal of a segment on El Salvador's CECOT prison, which led to disputes with correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi.

Weiss has expressed a vision for '60 Minutes' to align more closely with CBS News' broader coverage, potentially shifting the program's traditional focus on in-depth investigative reporting.