Last week, newly minted “60 Minutes” correspondent Ross Douthat and a crew from the newsmagazine touched down in Michigan. The team had arrived in the Wolverine State to sit down with Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who is locked in a tight race against Republican opponent Mike Rogers that has galvanized both sides of the aisle heading into Tuesday’s high-stakes midterm elections.
There was just one problem. Days before they were set to speak with El-Sayed, CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford had logged onto X and openly cheered a GOP activist pressing El-Sayed to condemn the Muslim Brotherhood. After facing a tsunami of criticism, Crawford deleted the post and apologized for violating CBS News’ standards. Inside the network…
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There was just one problem. Days before they were set to speak with El-Sayed, CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford had logged onto X and openly cheered a GOP activist pressing El-Sayed to condemn the Muslim Brotherhood. After facing a tsunami of criticism, Crawford deleted the post and apologized for violating CBS News’ standards. Inside the network, meetings were convened about whether to discipline Crawford, but I’m told Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss ultimately vetoed any meaningful action. The apology, she determined, was enough, as Zeteo previously reported, despite other executives believing a more serious disciplinary measure was warranted.
In any event, the damage was already done. It gave El-Sayed’s camp—which had already taken issue with CBS News’ coverage of the candidate, especially after the network published a widely panned story that put him front and center on the 9/11 anniversary—added reservations about participating in an interview with the news organization. Indeed, there were questions inside CBS News about whether “60 Minutes” would ultimately be able to secure a sit down with El-Sayed. My understanding is that Crawford's post on X put an interview into flux. A spokesperson for El-Sayed declined to comment.
It also wasn’t just the Senate hopeful’s camp that harbored concerns about the piece. Status has learned that inside “60 Minutes,” a handful of producers passed on the opportunity to work with Douthat on the story over worries about potential interference from Weiss. Eventually, Keith Sharman, a producer who often collaborates with Norah O’Donnell, agreed to take on the assignment. Like O’Donnell, Sharman has seen his star rise at “60 Minutes” under executive producer Nick Bilton. Earlier this month, Bilton announced that he had promoted Sharman to senior broadcast producer following the retirement of longtime producer Debbie DeLuca Sheh, according to a memo obtained by Status.
Ultimately, I’m told, the interview with El-Sayed took place last Thursday in Michigan. The piece, which will also feature Rogers, is slated to air Sunday evening on “60 Minutes.” Suffice it to say, the finished product will certainly be examined under a microscope, given how the Weiss-led news organization has covered El-Sayed and other progressive candidates in the past. A CBS News spokesperson declined to comment for this story.
But the whole affair is yet another example of behind-the-scenes drama that has put a “60 Minutes” piece in jeopardy. Earlier this month, Status reported that Lesley Stahl’s West Bank report almost didn’t make the broadcast after contentious screenings with Weiss, whose top deputy Charles Forelle even suggested tabling the story. During the flare-up, Stahl privately floated quitting the show if the piece was shelved. Ultimately, CBS News did air the story that Sunday.
Still, even with “60 Minutes” pieces ultimately finding their way onto the airwaves, the shadow cast by all the headlines pertaining to the behind-the-scenes chaos appears to be hurting the show’s viewership. “60 Minutes” has struggled this season to retain the audience it commanded last year, raising serious questions about Weiss’ radical overhaul of the venerable program. The most recent episode of "60 Minutes" averaged only 5.7 million viewers, less than what ABC's David Muir and NBC's Tom Llamas average on a random weeknight. Weiss, however, dismissed concerns about the ratings during a softball interview this week with The Information’s Jessica Lessin.
Behind the scenes, Weiss has also been using her rolodex in an attempt to book marquee guests for the show. As Status previously reported, she was able to secure the story of the rescued airman in Iran for the “60 Minutes” premiere, leaning on her relationship with Pete Hegseth’s wife. In more recent weeks, Status has learned that Weiss has also attempted to help the show book Elon Musk. In fact, I’m told that Musk tentatively agreed to sit for a “60 Minutes” interview, only to back out in the final hour. Indeed, Musk pulled the plug with Douthat earlier this month, just before crews were set to be deployed to Texas to film it following his "flying" Tesla Roadster announcement.
Of course, while high-profile interviews can boost viewership, they are not necessarily the solution to the show’s ratings woes. Trust between an audience and a newsroom is paramount, and the moves Weiss has made at CBS News and “60 Minutes” have unquestionably eroded that trust. This week, while speaking to Lessin, Weiss said that news organizations have a “trustworthiness problem.” At least at the outlet she now leads, that is the case.
