60 Minutes reporter nearly quit over conflict with Bari Weiss: report

An ‘aggressive back-and-forth’ began after editors suggested holding the story, according to the report

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Longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl nearly quit after clashing with CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss over a haunting news report on Israeli settler violence, according to a report.

The powerful piece went through a strict round of screenings with Weiss, who is a staunch supporter of Israel. The review process apparently became “extraordinarily contentious” and left Stahl frustrated and on the verge of quitting, sources told Status.

Weiss and her deputy managing editor, Charles Forelle, issued Stahl many notes on the piece, and Weiss became “very, very hands-on,” one source said.

An “aggressive back-and-forth” began after Forelle suggested holding the piece for a later date, the insiders said. However, Stahl pushed for the report to air Sunday and, in the end, won.

Even though the piece aired, the review screenings continued into Saturday. Meanwhile, the public listings, usually published Friday, weren't shared until Sunday morning.

The alleged conflict is reminiscent of the public clash between Weiss and former 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi after her segment on El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison was abruptly pulled off air in December.

Weiss was tapped to lead CBS News in October 2025, following Paramount Skydance’s $150 million acquisition of her online outlet, The Free Press. She previously served as an opinion writer for The New York Times and has described herself as a “radical centrist” and a “Zionist fanatic.”

In her time at the helm of the company, she has been accused by critics of steering the coverage in a more favorable direction toward the Trump administration and the Israeli government.

The piece was met with pushback over the inclusion of the death toll from the war in Gaza, insiders told Status. In the end, the figure was not aired.