The head of CBS News is reportedly behind a self-imposed “Bari-cade.”
Bari Weiss, the editor-in-chief of the network’s news division, has largely remained out of view as fallout from her overhaul of “60 Minutes” continues, according to the Status newsletter.
She has reportedly been ensconced in a secured, sixth-floor office suite at the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen nabe.
The area is accessible only by special key card and is largely off limits to most CBS News employees, according to Status.
The arrangement has fueled criticism inside CBS News, where some staffers see Weiss’ physical separation from the newsroom as symbolic of a broader disconnect between management and rank-and-file journos amid the biggest changes in the news division in years, according to Status.
The turmoil inside “60 Minutes” goes back to Weiss’ involvement in a segment reported by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi about El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison.
Alfonsi accused CBS News leadership of attempting to “sanitize accurate reporting” after Weiss shelved the piece shortly before airtime so extra interviews could be conducted.
The situation dramatically escalated last month when Weiss fired executive producer Tanya Simon, senior executive producer Draggan Mihailovich, Alfonsi and fellow correspondent Cecilia Vega as part of a sweeping overhaul of the newsmagazine.
The layoffs triggered a revolt inside the program, with current and former staffers demanding an explanation for why some of the show’s most senior figures had been shown the door.
Days later, veteran correspondent Scott Pelley confronted newly installed executive producer Nick Bilton during a staff meeting, accusing Weiss of “murdering” “60 Minutes” and claiming she had been “brought in to kill it.”
The following day, CBS News fired Pelley, who has since accused management of trying to inject “falsehoods and bias” into reporting.
The uncertainty surrounding the future of the broadcast became so acute that remaining correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim convened a private meeting to discuss whether they should stay or leave.
At the time, CBS insiders speculated that all three could follow Pelley out the door as the crisis deepened.
Instead, the trio ultimately decided to remain at the program, though not without publicly rebuking management.
In a joint memo to colleagues, they said they did not “want to see ‘60 Minutes’ die” and pledged to stay and fight for the show’s reputation.
At the same time, they accused CBS News of treating departed colleagues “so shabbily, with such indecency” and warned that “newsrooms are not supposed to be run like dictatorships.”
More recently, Stahl claimed that Paramount chief executive David Ellison personally called her and promised to preserve the editorial independence of “60 Minutes” amid the turmoil.
According to Stahl, Ellison reached out over the weekend as concern mounted inside the newsroom over the future of the broadcast and the fallout from the recent firings.
For all the criticism directed at Weiss, there is little evidence that Paramount is preparing to remove her.
Ellison publicly backed her as recently as last month, calling Weiss a “singular talent” and the person he had “empowered to run our newsroom.”
At the same time, questions about Weiss’ future have only intensified as the fallout from the “60 Minutes” overhaul continues.
Status recently reported that Paramount has explored bringing in a seasoned media executive to help oversee a combined CBS News-CNN operation if the company’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is completed.
Axios later reported that the search has included prominent industry figures such as CNN chief Mark Thompson, NBCUniversal News Group chairman Cesar Conde, former NBC News chief Noah Oppenheim, former ABC News president Ben Sherwood and former CBS News president David Rhodes.
According to both reports, Weiss would continue to oversee editorial operations while a separate executive handled business management.
The Post has sought comment from CBS News.
