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4w ago

CBS Fires Sharyn Alfonsi and Other 60 Minutes Leaders as Nick Bilton Is Named Executive Producer

The leadership overhaul signals a management-led repositioning of the program that critics say may undermine its editorial independence.

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Nick Bilton, pictured here interviewing Bob Iger, told CNN that under his watch, “60 Minutes” will “absolutely not” shy away from tough coverage of President Donald Trump.
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60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi at a conference in 2022.

Overview

  • CBS formally fired correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi and several senior 60 Minutes staff and producers on Thursday while naming former New York Times tech columnist Nick Bilton as the program’s new executive producer.
  • The personnel moves follow a months‑long editorial clash over Alfonsi’s report on deportees held at El Salvador’s CECOT prison, which Bari Weiss delayed from airing in December and later ran with limited change.
  • Current and former 60 Minutes staff have voiced strong backlash, describing low morale, fears of self-censorship, and widespread concern that the changes amount to a purge of journalists who challenge power.
  • Alfonsi has retained high‑profile attorney Bryan Freedman and is exploring legal options, creating the prospect of litigation that could extend the dispute beyond the newsroom.
  • The shake-up comes after Skydance/Paramount ownership changes and a $16 million settlement involving the network, a context critics say has heightened management sensitivity to political risk even as executives frame the changes as a push to modernize and expand 60 Minutes’ reach.