Viewers have seen a number of figures leave 60 Minutes in recent months, both by choice and not. Since then, a figure who spent years working on the show has spoken out about the issue. This was Steve Kroft, who even compared things to his own time with the news program.
Steve Kroft First Joined 60 Minutes In 1989, Ultimately Retiring In 2019
Kroft is a retired journalist who joined CBS News in 1980. Within a few years, he became a foreign correspondent for CBS London, causing him to travel throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia.
In 1989, Kroft would join 60 Minutes, the program he is most associated with. After spending around 30 seasons with the show, he retired in 2019.
Recently, viewers have seen a number of changes occur at 60 Minutes. This included the recent terminations of Scott Pelley, Cecilia Vega, and Sharyn Alfonsi, as well as executive producer Tanya Simon being replaced by Nick Bilton. In addition, Anderson Cooper also recently exited the series, having announced his departure earlier this year.
Kroft has since weighed in on the situation while appearing in an interview for PBS NewsHour. During the conversation, he shared, “I think it’s been disastrous for the show, for the audience, which is not insubstantial.”
Kroft also appeared to feel that issues have been impacting the show for some time and are now reaching their boiling point. As he continued, “It’s been going on for a long time.”
During The Conversation, Kroft Also Alluded To A Certain Interview Causing Things To Shift
The 60 Minutes alum explained, “It began, really, with an interview that Bill Whitaker had done with Kamala Harris, in which CBS was sued … by the Trump administration for what they called an illegal edit. The lawsuit had absolutely no merit. … Since then, it’s been sort of just one thing after another.”
Later in the interview, Kroft discussed CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who has been accused of being too sympathetic to the Trump administration by critics. He felt that she”refused to answer any of the questions” Pelley had amid the changes at the network.
Kroft continued, making note of figures from the “president” to the FCC chairman wanting the show to be taken off the air. He added, “I think this is journalistic interference. It makes no business sense whatsoever. The show is still doing very well. It’s the highest-rated news program on television. And it has been that way for more than 50 years.”
At one point, Kroft was asked about claims that staff members were pressured to “insert political bias,” causing staffers to become reluctant to pitch certain stories. He assured that, during his own time with the program, he “never had anybody ask to make any kind of insertion or addition to a story to change the tone of it or to change the facts of it.”
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John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.