Tensions inside CBS News are boiling over after “60 Minutes” correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Scott Pelley openly pushed back against editor in chief Bari Weiss, a revolt that sources say could cost both veterans their jobs.
Multiple people familiar with the situation told The Post that Alfonsi and Pelley are now on thin ice as Weiss, who took control of the news division in October, moves to overhaul the long-dominant program. One insider compared the standoff to “Game of Thrones”-level intrigue.
“It’s going to be a war,” a network insider said. “They don’t think their s–t stinks.”
CBS News is prepared to buy out contracts of on-air talent and top executives as part of the shake-up, sources said. Alfonsi’s contract is up in a few months, though it is unclear when Pelley’s expires. Neither correspondent responded to requests for comment. CBS News also declined to comment.
According to sources, Alfonsi angered Weiss by resisting changes to a recent “60 Minutes” report on El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison, while Pelley has drawn scrutiny for repeatedly criticizing CBS News leadership in public and internal forums.
Weiss now oversees major political and cultural coverage across the network, including “60 Minutes,” and participates in a new Monday meeting with executive producer Tanya Simon. That marks a sharp break from decades of tradition, when the show largely operated as a newsroom unto itself.
“CBS News is allergic to changes, especially ‘60 Minutes’ people,” the insider said.
Weiss, her deputies Charles Forelle and Adam Rubenstein, and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski are facing mounting resistance from staffers who, sources say, “don’t think Bari Weiss is qualified to be their boss.”
Veteran producers and correspondents, including Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, Alfonsi and Pelley, have voiced doubts about Weiss’ credentials. Some inside CBS have pointed to her background in opinion journalism and her lack of television reporting experience. Weiss became editor in chief after Paramount Skydance acquired her outlet, the Free Press, for $150 million.
Network insiders have also bristled at Weiss’ outspoken political views. A strong supporter of Israel, Weiss has described herself as a “Zionist fanatic,” prompting complaints that an editor in chief should be “impartial” or at least “not have a bias.”
Sources said Alfonsi and Pelley may be betting they can simply wait Weiss out.
“Everyone at CBS News knows there will be a boss every two years,” one person said, pointing to a revolving door of recent leadership.
“She’s becoming a headache and Ellison doesn’t need a headache,” the insider said, referring to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison. “They will do the bare minimum in appeasing Bari Weiss in the hopes she flames out.”
Another source warned that strategy could backfire, noting Ellison appears to have given Weiss broad authority to make changes.
“Everybody has a boss and they need to realize that Bari Weiss is theirs,” the source said.
The internal battle spilled into public view last month after Weiss shelved Alfonsi’s segment on the Trump administration’s deportation of migrants to CECOT, saying it was not “comprehensive and fair” and lacked comment from the administration.
While the piece eventually aired with updates, sources said Weiss and Cibrowski were frustrated by how long Alfonsi’s team took to make revisions. One person said Alfonsi initially “refused” to change the report and lashed out at Weiss’ deputy, Adam Rubenstein.
“You don’t get to produce me!” Alfonsi reportedly yelled, according to Puck News.
She also accused Rubenstein of being “a mouthpiece” for the Trump administration and questioned his experience producing television news. Rubenstein responded that he had produced TV journalism and urged her not to take the criticism personally, the report said.
Before the confrontation, Alfonsi told colleagues she believed the decision to shelve the story was politically motivated, not rooted in journalism standards. Pelley reportedly added fuel during an internal meeting, saying Weiss needed to take her job “more seriously.”
The revised CECOT segment aired with three additional minutes, including updated data and information that one detainee interviewed had tattoos of a swastika and the number 666, linked to the Aryan Brotherhood.
The dispute comes as Paramount Skydance navigates a high-stakes battle to block Netflix from acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal backed by the Trump administration, The Post previously reported.
Meanwhile, Pelley’s public commentary has reportedly irritated Ellison. At a commencement speech last summer, Pelley blasted President Trump and said journalism is “under attack.” He also criticized the state of “60 Minutes” at a recent awards ceremony, insisting Paramount has not influenced the program’s reporting.
For now, the power struggle continues, with two of CBS News’ most recognizable faces testing how far defiance can go in a newsroom no longer willing to let “60 Minutes” run itself.
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