After a Bari Weiss makeover, "60 Minutes" makes its Sunday debut

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Set us as preferred The first edition of “60 Minutes” since CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss initiated drastic changes to the venerable program made it to air Sunday.But the changes weren’t all that apparent on screen.

The 59th season premiere was highly anticipated following months of turbulence behind the scenes.Weiss fired “60 Minutes” correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, both of whom complained the executive pushed them to add right-wing talking points to their stories.

Longtime correspondent Scott Pelley was ousted after he angrily questioned the firings at a staff meeting.Weiss — who took over editorial control of CBS News after parent company Paramount acquired her heterodox digital news site the Free Press — also dismissed “60 Minutes” executive producer Tanya Simon and replaced her with screenwriter and documentary filmmaker Nick Bilton, who has no previous experience in TV news.Weiss restocked the program’s correspondent corps with one new full-timer — Ross Douthat, the longtime conservative opinion writer for the New York Times — and several new contributors, none of whom showed up in the premiere.Douthat is the only newcomer added to the opening credits where the correspondents introduce themselves on camera.He also did the closing segment called “The Last Minute,” talking about the dangers of AI and the need for “journalism you can trust.” But the look and tone of “60 Minutes” remained intact, with only a few minor tweaks to the graphics.The episode was heavily promoted, with one on-air spot drawing on clips with from the program’s storied past.

Correspondents throughout CBS News touted the premiere on their social media accounts.The program opened with Norah O’Donnell’s exclusive interview with the Air Force officer who was shot down over Iran and rescued ...