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How to Get Hired at CBS News With Zero TV Experience
Why Everyone Is Shocked by the New 60 Minutes Hire
What Happened?
Imagine your favorite serious news show—the one known for tough investigations and grilling powerful people—suddenly hires someone who has never done that kind of work before. That’s exactly what happened at 60 Minutes this week.
CBS announced that Ross Douthat, a famous opinion columnist from The New York Times, will become a new correspondent. The media world’s reaction? A collective "What?!"
Who Is Ross Douthat?
Think of Douthat as a professional thinker and writer, not a TV reporter.
- He writes opinions, not news reports. His job is to share his views on politics, religion, and culture.
- He has zero broadcast TV experience. He’s never chased a source, filmed a segment, or done an on-camera investigation.
- He’s known for “lofty takes.” His former boss, Katie Kingsbury, said he was “right about things early, wrong about things honestly, and never, not once, boring.”
Great for a columnist. Not the usual resume for 60 Minutes.
Why Is This So Surprising?
60 Minutes built its reputation on investigative journalism—the kind where reporters dig up secrets powerful people want hidden. Legends like Mike Wallace made the show famous by asking the tough questions nobody else would.
The people Douthat is replacing? Heavy hitters:
- Scott Pelley – decades of hard-hitting reporting
- Cecilia Vega – seasoned White House correspondent
- Sharyn Alfonsi – award-winning investigative journalist
- Anderson Cooper – left on his own, citing concerns about political bias creeping into the show
Important Point:
Douthat is an “opinion guy,” not a “news guy.” He doesn’t have the toolkit of a traditional 60 Minutes correspondent: grilling reluctant sources, filing FOIA requests, or building a case from documents.
The Bigger Picture: New Bosses, New Rules
This hire didn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s the latest move in a total leadership overhaul at CBS News.
1. New Owner Enters the Chat
- David Ellison, a billionaire heir (his dad founded Oracle), took control of CBS’s parent company.
- He needed federal approval for big mergers—so he wanted to cozy up to the Trump administration.
2. Enter Bari Weiss
- Ellison hired Bari Weiss as Editor-in-Chief of CBS News (October 2025).
- Her background: Opinion journalism. Founded The Free Press (a digital outlet with an “anti-woke” slant). Former NYT opinion editor. Zero TV news experience.
- Her politics: Leans conservative. Publicly clashed with legacy media culture.
3. The Executive Producer Pick
- Weiss chose Nick Bilton to run 60 Minutes.
- Also from The New York Times. Also no TV news experience.
Pattern alert: Three top jobs → all filled by opinion writers from the NYT → none with broadcast investigative backgrounds.
What Happened to the Old Team?
It wasn’t a polite changing of the guard. It was ugly and public.
| Journalist | What Happened |
|---|---|
| Scott Pelley | Accused Weiss of “murdering” 60 Minutes in a staff meeting. Comments went viral. Fired shortly after. |
| Cecilia Vega & Sharyn Alfonsi | Let go in recent weeks. |
| Anderson Cooper | Left voluntarily, citing concerns over political bias in reporting. |
Morley Safer’s daughter (Safer was a 60 Minutes icon) even wrote an op-ed saying her father “would be disgusted.”
Who Else Is Joining the New 60 Minutes?
It’s not just Douthat. The new team includes:
- Norah O’Donnell – CBS star anchor, moving to correspondent role
- Sebastian Junger – Bestselling author & former ABC News correspondent
- Gianna Toboni – Former Vice correspondent
- Trevor Phillips – Current CBS reporter
Nick Bilton’s pitch for Douthat: “A thinker of uncommon rigor and a journalist of deep empathy.”
Sounds nice—but empathy and rigor don’t equal investigative chops.
What Does This Mean for 60 Minutes?
The Message Is Clear:
At the new CBS News, being a famous conservative opinion journalist is the credential that matters most.
The Ratings Say Otherwise:
- Since the overhaul, CBS News ratings have plummeted—including the evening news (where Weiss installed new anchor Tony Dokoupil).
- Longtime viewers feel angry and betrayed.
- The show is in “serious rebuilding mode.”
Summary
- Ross Douthat, a NYT opinion columnist with no TV or investigative experience, is the new 60 Minutes correspondent.
- The hire stunned media insiders because 60 Minutes is legendary for hard-nosed investigative reporting.
- This fits a pattern: New owner David Ellison → hired Bari Weiss (opinion, conservative, no TV) → she hired Nick Bilton (same profile) → they’re reshaping the show.
- Veteran journalists were pushed out—publicly and bitterly.
- Ratings are tanking, and the show’s identity is shifting from “investigation first” to “opinion first.”
FAQ
Why would CBS hire someone with no TV experience for 60 Minutes?
Because the new leadership (Ellison → Weiss → Bilton) values opinion journalism and conservative credentials over traditional broadcast investigative skills. They’re redefining what the show is.
Is Ross Douthat a bad journalist?
No. He’s a highly respected opinion columnist. But opinion writing and investigative TV reporting are totally different skill sets. It’s like hiring a great food critic to be a chef.
What happened to Scott Pelley?
He publicly accused Bari Weiss of “murdering” 60 Minutes in a staff meeting. The comments went viral. He was fired soon after, despite decades of awards and service.
Are ratings really down?
Yes. Multiple outlets report significant ratings drops at CBS News, including the evening news and 60 Minutes, since the new leadership took over.
Will 60 Minutes still do investigations?
That’s the million-dollar question. The new hires (Douthat, Junger, Toboni, Phillips) bring varied backgrounds, but the core investigative muscle (Pelley, Vega, Alfonsi) is gone. The show’s future direction is uncertain.
