Bari Weiss 'joke' hires leave '60 Minutes' insiders laughing as  ratings plummet: report

Staff at CBS News' flagship news magazine "60 Minutes" are voicing sharp discontent over network chief Bari Weiss' latest round of hires, with insiders saying they doubt the new additions belong on one of television's most storied broadcasts.

The most contentious pick is conservative New York Times opinion columnist Ross Douthat, who joins despite having no reporting background and minimal on-camera experience, reported Status.

Newly installed executive producer Nick Bilton praised Douthat in an internal memo as a rigorous thinker with deep empathy, a characterization industry insiders reportedly found laughable.

“The idea that Ross can be a ‘60’ correspondent is a joke," snorted a veteran TV executive.

According to the New York Post, insiders mock Bilton interviews as an excuse for him to air grievances about CBS — calling them "therapy sessions."

The Post reports Bilton is telling people he's “assembling ‘The Avengers of news.'"

“We’re journalists,” one source said. "Not Marvel movie characters."

Douthat isn't the only addition raising eyebrows. Writer Sebastian Junger, former VICE correspondent Gianna Toboni, and ex-Sky News host Sir Trevor Phillips — who has faced past accusations of Islamophobia — round out the new roster of contributors and correspondents, alongside CBS veteran Norah O'Donnell's promotion to full correspondent.

Industry figures who spoke with Status measured the newcomers against legends like Mike Wallace, Diane Sawyer, Ed Bradley and Scott Pelley, concluding the new hires wouldn't have made the cut in that earlier era.

“These are the most coveted on-air jobs in TV news,” said another news veteran.

Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison installed Weiss, who lacked experience in broadcast news and once bragged about not owning a television, as CBS News editor-in-chief in October, and critics say CBS has lurched rightward since her arrival and grown reluctant to air anything critical of the Trump administration.

Viewers have rejected the changes under her stewardship.

CBS Evening News, anchored by Tony Dokoupil, is on pace to average just 3.8 million viewers in July, marking its fourth straight month below 4 million. CBS Mornings fared even worse, pulling in its lowest monthly average, 1.6 million, in the show's history. One CBS executive told Status the overhaul has driven ratings to record lows, with little sign the "60 Minutes" changes will reverse the trend.

CBS News has not yet responded to a request for comment.