Ross Douthat, a well-known conservative columnist for the New York Times, is joining “60 Minutes” as a full-time reporter.
As a big fan of CBS News, I was really interested to hear they’ve brought on Ross Douthat as a full-time correspondent. It’s a big deal because it’s the first time they’ve added someone in that role since the show went through some major changes last spring. It feels like they’re really investing in the program again, and I’m excited to see what he brings to it.
His hiring was announced Tuesday.
CBS News is looking to hire new correspondents following the recent departures of longtime journalists Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi, and Cecilia Vega, as well as executive producer Tanya Simon. These changes were made by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
Anderson Cooper turned down a new deal to continue as a contributing correspondent.
Douthat, 46, is not frequently seen on television.
He created and hosted “Interesting Times,” a video podcast for The New York Times’ opinion pages that examined the intersection of religion and politics.
On “60 Minutes,” he will become the most prominent conservative voice on a broadcast news network.
Ross Douthat joined the New York Times opinion section in 2009, taking over the role from conservative commentator Bill Kristol.
Weiss initially gained recognition writing for The Times, where she became known for her views opposing what she considered “woke” ideology. She later founded The Free Press, a digital news site with similar perspectives, which Paramount (the parent company of CBS News) purchased last year.
When Weiss became the head of CBS News in October, Paramount CEO David Ellison asked him to move the network towards a more neutral political stance. Hiring Douthat is a step towards achieving that goal.
Nick Bilton, brought on board as an executive producer for “60 Minutes” by Weiss, also identified three people who contribute to the show.
Hollywood Inc.
A former opinion editor at The New York Times and the creator of Free Press is entering the difficult and competitive world of television news.
- Author and filmmaker Sebastian Junger, 64, who wrote “The Perfect Storm” and covered the Afghanistan war for ABC News. He is a Peabody Award winner.
- Gianna Toboni, 39, a former correspondent for Vice News who most recently was a reporter for CNN. She will also be a CBS News national correspondent.
- Trevor Phillips, 72, a British journalist who joined CBS News earler this year as a senior global affairs correspondent. He also worked in British politics.
The program is considering several internal candidates for full-time and contributor positions, including Seth Doane, a longtime reporter for “CBS Sunday Morning,” national correspondent Matt Guttman, and foreign correspondent Holly Phillips. Tony Doukopil, who anchors “CBS Evening News,” is also likely to contribute.
Longtime 60 Minutes reporters Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, Norah O’Donnell, and Jon Wertheim will be back for the show’s 58th season, starting September 13th.
Look, despite a really strong year – numbers from Nielsen show they were up 9% in viewers – it seems like all isn’t well behind the scenes at “60 Minutes.” There’s been some internal conflict that’s come to light, which is surprising given their recent success.
The season was marked by conflict after CNN boss Jeff Zucker’s replacement, Chris Licht, dismissed writers Allie Alfonsi and Maria Vega. Both claimed Licht had pressured them to include conservative viewpoints in their reporting.
After the layoffs, Pelley criticized Weiss, saying she had effectively destroyed the show and was unfairly influencing its reporting to be more positive towards President Trump’s administration.
I was really shocked to hear about Pelley’s firing! Apparently, he stood up to the higher-ups on June 1st, questioning their decision to let people go, and unfortunately, that led to them letting him go. It sounds like they had a reason prepared beforehand, but it all stemmed from him advocating for his colleagues.
2026-07-29 01:31