Lesley Stahl Says She Stayed to Keep 60 Minutes Afloat

Lesley Stahl said she considered leaving 60 Minutes in solidarity with colleagues dismissed during a major staff shake-up, but chose to stay because she feared the program would not survive without its remaining veterans. She spoke on November 5 at The Daily Beast’s Power 100 luncheon, where she received the inaugural award bearing that name.

“There was an urge to walk out in protest,” Stahl said, describing discussions with fellow correspondents Bill Whitaker and John Wertheim. The three decided to remain, she said, while trying to protect the show from interference.

CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss took charge after the network’s acquisition by Skydance CEO David Ellison. The changes included the departure of executive producer Tanya Simon and journalists Scott Pelley, Cecilia Vega, and Sharyn Alfonsi. Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim were among the veterans who remained.

Stahl acknowledged that the program’s audience had declined, saying loyal viewers appeared to have stopped watching in protest. One report put the overall ratings drop at about 15% compared with last season. Stahl asked those viewers to return, saying the program had a role in scrutinizing power and corruption.

Simon attended the luncheon, where Stahl said she missed her former boss. Weiss had been invited but did not attend. The program’s ratings and the effort to preserve its established approach remain central to the tensions surrounding the staff changes.

Stahl Stayed as CBS Upheaval Threatened 60 Minutes’ Watchdog Role

Lesley Stahl’s explanation for staying at 60 Minutes points to what is at stake when a newsroom loses experienced journalists: the capacity to challenge power. At The Daily Beast’s Power 100 luncheon on November 5, she said she and colleagues Bill Whitaker and John Wertheim considered leaving in solidarity with staff who had been dismissed, but feared the show would vanish if they did.

The upheaval followed Bari Weiss’s appointment as CBS News editor-in-chief after Skydance CEO David Ellison acquired the network. The departures included executive producer Tanya Simon and journalists Scott Pelley, Cecilia Vega, and Sharyn Alfonsi. Stahl said the remaining veterans were doing their best to fend off interference.

The audience has also fallen away. Stahl said loyal viewers appeared to be tuning out in protest, and asked them to return. The show’s ratings were down about 15% overall against the previous season, one account said. Simon, whom Stahl said she missed as a boss, attended the luncheon.

The stakes are not merely a familiar program’s survival: Stahl described 60 Minutes as a watchdog and a force for honest journalism. Her account makes the cost of the staff purge plain, while leaving the remaining journalists to try to preserve the program’s role from inside a changed network.

Stahl’s Choice to Stay Keeps 60 Minutes on the Air Amid Change

Lesley Stahl chose to remain at 60 Minutes rather than join a protest walkout, saying she feared the historic program would vanish if she and other veterans left. Her decision, explained at The Daily Beast’s Power 100 luncheon on November 5, underscores the value of keeping the show operating through a period of change at CBS News.

Stahl said she, Bill Whitaker and John Wertheim considered leaving after colleagues were dismissed, including executive producer Tanya Simon and journalists Scott Pelley, Cecilia Vega, and Sharyn Alfonsi. Instead, she said, they stayed and are trying to fend off interference while preserving the program.

Bari Weiss took over as CBS News editor-in-chief after Skydance CEO David Ellison acquired the network. The resulting personnel changes have been followed by a decline in 60 Minutes’ audience: one account put ratings about 15% below the prior season. Stahl said some long-time viewers appeared to have stopped watching in protest and urged them to come back.

A walkout might have made a statement, but Stahl said it could also have put the show and remaining staff at risk. Keeping the program on air gives its correspondents the chance to continue their work, even as the network’s leadership and personnel change.