Jay Rosen

A newspaper wrecked on purpose.

"The top story of the moment is the one story that our most influential newsrooms won’t touch: That the United State has become an authoritarian state." — Dan Froomkin @froomkin.bsky.social presswatchers.org/2025/08/we-h...

Columbia Journalism Review: Why — exactly why — did 60 Minutes need to be changed? www.cjr.org/the_media_to... My answer: 60 Minutes is the flagship, CBS News the fleet. As owner the Ellison family will serve the pleasures of Donald Trump. From this plan they can all benefit— even beyond news.

If Scott Pelley keeps up with "CBS News is on fire" and new management keeps up with "this would never be tolerated in any other work place" the conflict will continue. www.cnn.com/2026/06/07/m... The page can only be turned when Weiss is replaced. But there's no sign of that yet. Stelter:

"CBS News is on fire." Scott Pelley answers questions. And he has a lot to say. "There was a thumb on the scale for the president’s version of events that I felt was a level of political influence that I had never seen in 37 years at CBS News. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/07/m... [Gift link]

If you follow the mess at CBS, don't dismiss the possibility that Ellison thinks he's been clear about playing nice with Trump, while Bari Weiss thinks she can get by with "Center Right," while Nick Bilton thinks it's Mike Wallace all over again— but super digital. All at once. From @status.news:

If everything here is normal, then why is the boss an opinion writer with no experience in broadcast news? If that question is never answered — answered by CBS itself, I mean — then I see nothing ahead but newsy turmoil and slow ruin. @brianstelter.bsky.social

It was a political hire. To understand its logic, start not with Walter Cronkite but with DOGE, The targeting of research in higher ed, the hollowing out of foreign aid, and the like. From @status.news:

As I said, "it was a political hire." We know that because Bari Weiss had no experience in broadcast news, and none as a reporter. That by itself is astounding. Now the people from CBS still fighting have to make sure that the "political hire" story comes out. Variety: variety.com/2026/tv/news...

Those pushing back at CBS News, or suppporting the staff, need to begin with, "it was a political hire," and then GO ON FROM THERE to describe it: Trump to Ellison to Weiss to Dokoupil. www.status.news/p/bill-owens... Read what one anonymous executive said to @status.news That is fairy land.

"She was brought in to kill it—and she's doing exactly that." @status.news got a tape of the first meeting for '60 Minutes' staff with the new executive producer of the program, Nick Bilton, who lacks both broadcast news and managerial experience. Scott Pelley simply would not would not accept it.

Quick reminder: When you see that extremely tired both-sides device, "another Rorschach test..." Or it's even duller cousin, "depends on who you ask..." you may find a writer who didn't want to go into the politics of the thing, and that's where you should begn.