The “60 Minute” premiere on Sunday night ended on an odd note as one of the new conservative contributors added a cryptic — and scripted comment — that seemed divorced from his central topic.
Appearing for the first time as the venerable newsmagazine began its 59th season, ex-Washington Post columnist Ross Douthat appeared in a segment called “The Last Minute” tacked on by controversial CBS News head Bari Weiss and equally controversial new Executive Producer Nick Bilton.
As the Daily Beast’s Cameron Adams noted, Douthat blandly issued a warning about AI, stating, “…no story looms larger than the latest developments in artificial intelligence” before segueing to “That clock is ticking, and so is ours.”
“For almost 60 years, it has meant the same thing. Journalism you can trust. Where we’re headed, we’re going to need it,” he cryptically added.
That specific aside was highlighted by CNN media critic Brian Stelter on X, with the Beast’s Adams noting, “The line was the only reference to the show’s controversial changes in the lead-up to the newest season.”
As his report noted, there has been a serious debate among media watchers whether “60 Minutes” will survive under Weiss and Bilton, neither of whom came to their jobs with the requisite experience in news reporting and after purging the show of respected producers and on-air personalities.
Variety noted that the premiere seemed to rely on older hosts to get through the first night, before adding, “Keep an eye on subsequent weeks of the program. Weiss’ overhaul of the show interrupted a critical off-season period when correspondents typically try to file and finish a segment for the fall. Bilton and crew will enjoy a cushion thanks to having the new NFL season as a lead-in every Sunday for the next several weeks. Still, they won’t have the luxury of stories that may have been in the works for weeks, which may shortchange the amount of attention they can devote to segments from new on-air personnel who are still learning the ropes.”