Anderson Cooper Leaves '60 Minutes'; CBS News Faces Editorial Shifts Under New Leadership

February 16, 2026
Anderson Cooper Leaves '60 Minutes'; CBS News Faces Editorial Shifts Under New Leadership
  • Breaking: Anderson Cooper is exiting CBS’s 60 Minutes after two decades, choosing to spend more time with his family while continuing his work at CNN.

  • Weiss, the former New York Times columnist now leading CBS News under Paramount Skydance, has overseen significant changes, including editorial shifts and staffing moves that have stirred controversy.

  • Cooper’s final pieces will air through the current season, offering viewers a last look at his long-form reporting as CBS News reassesses its direction and on-air talent amid leadership upheaval.

  • Contextual note: the piece draws on multiple media outlets and uses industry-specific language to discuss editorial influence, ratings, and consolidation in the media landscape.

  • Coverage highlights omissions by Sunday shows on Potomac sewage spill and Munich Security Conference commentary, framing these gaps as part of broader media narrative dynamics.

  • An internal flashpoint saw an editor-in-chief delay a detention facility report in El Salvador for missing U.S. administration comments, underscoring tensions over editorial control.

  • Tensions trace back to last winter when investigative work on a Salvadoran prison housing Venezuelan migrants was blocked due to concerns about Trump-era commentary, fueling newsroom unease.

  • The piece underscores the rising importance of video verification in journalism, with bystander video and AI-related challenges shaping the next era of visual reporting.

  • Reactions to an anti-Muslim tweet by Rep. Randy Fine and a tribute to Robert Duvall illustrate ongoing conversations at the intersection of media, politics, and culture.

  • Analyses discuss Trump’s faltering approval and how polling at national versus district levels may forecast midterm dynamics, highlighting Republican challenges.

  • The Alfonsi episode aired in January without on-camera Trump interviews, fueling debates that CBS was soft on the Trump administration under Weiss’s leadership.

  • The Bannon storyline intersects a memecoin lawsuit and Epstein coverage, with conservative outlets’ responses connected to broader credibility debates over Epstein reporting.

Summary based on 34 sources


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