The leadership behind the revamped “60 Minutes" newsmagazine was accused of falling down on the job after getting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to sit down for a one-on-one interview in the season-opening episode.
According to media watchdog Status, CBS News chief Bari Weisspersonally secured the "sit-down" with the embattled Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, leaning on her friendly rapport with Hegseth's wife, Jennifer — "a former Fox News producer who has become a de facto Pentagon adviser."
"Bari calls her on her cell phone," one person familiar with the relationship told Oliver Darcy of Status. Hegseth has largely dodged other major outlets, but this marked "his third sit-down" with CBS News in the past year.
The segment, aired under new "60 Minutes" leadership installed by Weiss and Executive Producer Nick Bilton, centered on the rescue of an airman shot down over Iran. While anchor Norah O'Donnell called the war "deeply unpopular" and noted it has killed 18 service members — that was as far as the tough questions went.
According to Darcy, "Notably absent from the report, however, were questions to Hegseth and Caine about the current status of the Iran War. Despite securing interviews with the senior officials overseeing it, the '60 Minutes' piece largely sidestepped the broader context of the war of which the rescue mission was a part... At no point did she press Hegseth on why the war has dragged on for nearly seven months despite claims it would conclude in two weeks. Nor did the piece address the war's direct impact on the American public, most notably rising prices for gasoline and regular goods at home."
That "glaring omission" was singled out by former "60 Minutes" staffers who spoke with Status.
One former senior staffer called skipping the war-status questions "negligent" and branded the whole segment "propaganda" for the Pentagon. Another ex-CBS News staffer told Darcy, "I felt like it was a handshake between Hegseth and CBS."
Guy Campanile, the longtime senior CBS News producer and "60 Minutes" managing editor fired in May, told Status he applauded the concept, but was dismayed by the missed opportunity.
"As a viewer I was deeply disappointed that there was an opportunity to ask about the conduct and status of the war. And that didn't happen," he told Status.