CBS News has added Ross Douthat, Sebastian Junger, Gianna Toboni and Trevor Phillips to “60 Minutes,” filling out the roster of the long-running newsmagazine following a turbulent stretch that saw several veteran journalists leave the program. Executive producer Nick Bilton announced the hires Tuesday in a staff memo, with the new lineup set to debut when the show returns Sept. 13.
Douthat, a conservative New York Times columnist, joins as a correspondent alongside Norah O’Donnell, who Bilton praised as a “powerhouse” continuing her dual role as correspondent and podcast host. Junger, a war journalist, author and filmmaker, and Toboni, a journalist and documentarian who also becomes a CBS News national correspondent, join as contributors.
Phillips, hired by the network in June as senior global affairs correspondent, rounds out the additions. Bilton described the group as “entrepreneurial journalists who understand how to reach modern audiences,” citing their combined experience across books, documentaries, podcasts and independent media platforms.
The new hires follow months of upheaval at the broadcast. Longtime executive producer Tanya Simon and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega departed earlier this year, and Scott Pelley was fired in June after publicly confronting Bilton and CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss during a staff meeting, accusing the pair of compromising the show’s editorial independence.
Pelley later told The New York Times he believed Weiss should be removed from her post and alleged that CBS leadership had pressured the program over a report on immigration protests, calling it a level of political influence he had not previously encountered in nearly four decades at the network. CBS News has disputed characterizations that political considerations shaped its editorial decisions, and Weiss told staff at the time that the network had made repeated attempts to find “a way back” with Pelley before parting ways.
The changes have unfolded against the backdrop of Paramount Skydance’s ownership of CBS under chief executive David Ellison, who has said he wants the network to reach a more politically diverse audience. Despite the departures, correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim confirmed in June that they intend to remain with the program for its 59th season this fall. Bilton said the incoming hires would “learn an immense amount” from those returning colleagues.
