CBS Insider Rejects Rather’s Claim Network is Becoming Fox Under Trump
WHO:
Fox News - Rather told *Variety* that “there’s still a lot of really good people” working at CBS News and said his criticism targeted management.
Alternet - Rather said journalists should “start challenging the power,” even if speaking out brought professional consequences.
Fox News - Rather said he had not known Bari Weiss before she took control of CBS News and did not know her now.
Fox News - Dan Rather is a former CBS News anchor who spent 24 years at CBS; he stepped down as anchor of “CBS Evening News” in 2005 and left the network the following year.
Fox News - Bari Weiss is editor-in-chief of CBS News; Paramount appointed her in 2025 after acquiring her outlet, The Free Press.
Fox News - David Ellison is CEO of Skydance Media and owns Paramount, CBS’s parent company.
Alternet - Scott Pelley and Sharyn Alfonsi were among the long-serving “60 Minutes” correspondents removed in a management shake-up.
Alternet - Pelley accused CBS management of introducing political bias into reporting; CBS News denied political interference and said editorial decisions aimed to improve accuracy and fairness.
WHAT:
Fox News - The CBS News insider said *60 Minutes* had aired critical stories about the Trump administration “throughout this season.”
Fox News - Rather said Trump had “gotten his way” regarding *60 Minutes* and that he did not see how to stop what he called the continuing “wreckage” at CBS News.
Fox News - Before Weiss took control, Rather wrote on Substack: “The American people will pay the price for this move, as will the journalists of CBS News who can no longer credibly serve as watchdogs because the ones they are meant to hold to account are signing their paychecks and hobnobbing with the president.”
Fox News - CBS News declined to comment on Rather’s remarks.
Fox News - Rather called CBS News “in many ways a disaster,” while saying it still had “a lot of really good people working there.”
Alternet - Rather accused Weiss of turning CBS News toward “a version of Fox News, perhaps a little more palatable.”
Fox News - A CBS News insider told Fox News Digital that Rather’s criticism “doesn't reflect reality” and said “60 Minutes” had aired critical stories about the Trump administration during the season.
Fox News - The cited “60 Minutes” reports covered deportees sent to countries other than their own, the “pardon economy,” and federal involvement in elections.
Alternet - Rather said ownership changes had enabled Trump to damage “60 Minutes,” which Trump has repeatedly criticized, and described the network’s “wreckage” as ongoing and difficult to reverse.
Alternet - Rather praised Pelley and Alfonsi for resisting changes they believed threatened the program’s journalistic independence. Pelley said journalists needed to “start challenging the power.”
Alternet - Paramount settled Trump’s lawsuit over a 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris for $16 million; the settlement included no apology. Rather criticized it as surrendering to presidential pressure.
WHERE:
Fox News - The reported changes and disputes concern CBS News and its “60 Minutes” program.
WHEN:
Alternet - Rather turns 95 on Saturday.
Fox News - Paramount appointed Weiss editor-in-chief in 2025 and acquired The Free Press for $150 million.
Alternet - The Skydance merger with Paramount was completed in 2025.
Fox News - Rather stepped down as “CBS Evening News” anchor in 2005 and left CBS in 2006.
WHY:
Fox News - Rather argued that billionaire corporate power and its ties to political leaders were driving changes at CBS for their own benefit.
Alternet - Rather said the changes benefited Trump and corporate interests; he linked them to billionaire influence in journalism and political power.
HOW:
Alternet - Ellison and Skydance co-CEO Ynon Kreiz announced a voluntary buyout program for eligible employees as the merged company brought its teams together.
Fox News - Skydance CEO David Ellison took control of CBS through a long-planned merger; Fox News reported the merger was approved shortly after CBS agreed to settle Trump’s election-interference lawsuit.
Alternet - The ownership change followed Skydance’s merger with Paramount, CBS’s parent company; Paramount acquired Weiss’s The Free Press.
(UPDATED October 27, 2026 01:29 UTC)
Dan Rather says CBS News is “in many ways a disaster,” arguing that new ownership and management have weakened the network’s independence and benefited President Trump, while stressing that many good journalists still work there. He criticized editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and the removal of longtime “60 Minutes” correspondents Scott Pelley and Sharyn Alfonsi, as Pelley accused management of political bias; CBS denied political interference and said its editorial decisions aimed to improve accuracy and fairness. A CBS News insider disputed Rather’s assessment, pointing to “60 Minutes” reports critical of the Trump administration, while Rather urged journalists to challenge powerful interests even when speaking out could carry professional consequences.
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(UPDATED October 26, 2026 23:11 UTC)
Former CBS anchor Dan Rather says CBS News has become “in many ways a disaster,” accusing editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and the network’s new ownership of weakening its journalistic independence. His criticism follows a management shake-up at “60 Minutes” that removed longtime correspondents Scott Pelley and Sharyn Alfonsi, while Pelley has accused management of political bias; CBS denies political interference and says its editorial decisions aim to improve accuracy and fairness. Rather also condemned Paramount’s $16 million settlement of President Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview, while a CBS News insider said the program has continued airing critical reports about the Trump administration.
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(UPDATED October 26, 2026 22:10 UTC)
Former CBS anchor Dan Rather called CBS News “in many ways a disaster,” accusing editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of steering it toward a more palatable version of Fox News and saying corporate ownership changes had damaged “60 Minutes.” The criticism follows a management shake-up that removed longtime correspondents Scott Pelley and Sharyn Alfonsi; Pelley alleged political bias, while CBS denied interference and said its editorial decisions aimed to improve accuracy and fairness. Rather also condemned Paramount’s $16 million settlement of President Trump’s lawsuit over a 2024 interview with Kamala Harris, while a CBS News insider said the criticism did not reflect reality and pointed to recent “60 Minutes” reports critical of the Trump administration.