Bari Weiss has lately rejiggered her hard-charging management style following the bloodbath at “60 Minutes” — pivoting to a notably friendlier, more hands-on approach with staffers, The Post has learned.
In recent weeks, the 42-year-old Weiss has begun the Friday editorial call by “celebrating” wins and identifying specific journalists who have done a good job — often reading aloud names she’s jotted down in a notebook, according to network sources.
That’s versus Weiss’s earlier habit of staying largely aloof in the newsroom — descending to the rank and file mostly to pick apart the news divisions work rather than to praise it, according to sources.
“She made zero effort before, but since the ‘60’ explosion, she’s been very nice to people,” one source told The Post.
The fresh charm offensive comes after the CBS News editor-in chief fired a number of “60 Minutes” star reporters and producers. Those included veteran correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, executive producer Tanya Simon and — in a headline-grabbing finale — veteran correspondent Scott Pelley.
Following the brutal bloodbath, Weiss moved her office to a sixth-floor suite at the CBS Broadcast Center on Manhattan’s West Side that was reportedly “locked to outside visitors” — up from a second-floor office that had overlooked the newsroom.
Sources close to CBS claimed Weiss’s move upstairs had been planned months in advance and that the timing was merely coincidental. Nevertheless, the move drew criticism that she had barricaded herself away from employees following the layoffs.
In recent weeks, however, Weiss has since adopted an open-door policy at her sixth-floor office, sources said.
“I think Bari has been given management training and told to develop relationships with existing staff and try to retain them,” a CBS source speculated, adding that until now, Weiss did not schmooze with the talent or try to get to know employees much.
CBS News declined to comment.
A network source said that Weiss has not received any management training since the “60 Minutes” upheaval, and added that she’s always had an open-door policy since she started at the network last October.
Weiss’s kinder, gentler approach comes as speculation about her own career prospects has lately taken a turn, according to insiders.
This spring, Weiss had appeared to be a lock to run CNN after CBS owner Paramount Skydance cemented its deal to acquire CNN’s owner Warner Bros. Discovery. But since the blow-up at “60 Minutes,” Weiss and her lieutenants are more “cautious” when it comes to talking about their future at CNN.
“They’re no longer talking about CNN like it’s a sure thing,” one source said.
The $110 billion media merger, expected to close later this year, will bring a slew of properties under the same roof, including movie studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. news outlets CNN and CBS, as well as HBO, Paramount+ and la slew of cable channels.
Although those who know Weiss socially say she is charming, charismatic and whip-smart, CBS staffers said they’ve hardly seen that side of her.
Instead, employees have griped that Weiss has largely been an elusive presence, keeping staff at arm’s length and only surfacing occasionally to question journalists over what she believed was overly left-leaning coverage.
Weiss’ shocking bloodbath at “60 Minutes” marked the peak of the headline-grabbing changes that have shaded Weiss’s tenure at the helm of the Tiffany Network’s embattled news division.
The exec not only shuttered the nearly 100-year-old CBS News Radio unit, but also led aggressive editorial overhauls that prompted the high-profile resignation of Anderson Cooper.
Former “60 Minutes” correspondent Pelley was fired after he demanded to know why Weiss had axed his colleagues and hired Nick Bilton, a former New York Times journalist with scant TV experience, to run the legendary program.
During a meet-and-greet for Bilton, Pelley also slammed Weiss’ qualifications for the job and said she was “murdering ‘60 Minutes’.”
Earlier, Weiss ruffled feathers at “60 Minutes” when she gave Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu the choice between legendary correspondent Lesley Stahl or CBS News’ chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett for a sitdown, The Post exclusively reported in May.
Stahl had been trying to land the interview for months, but Weiss stepped in and offered up Garrett, angering the longtime correspondent, who had been rumored to be contemplating her retirement.
Ultimately — even after the bloodbath and the Netanyahu dustup, the 84-year-old correspondent opted to remain at the network and was out shooting material for the next season the week Pelley was fired, as first reported by The Post.
