Longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl privately discussed the possibility of leaving the program amid a tense editorial process for a segment on extremist Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank, according to a report from Status. Stahl, who has been with 60 Minutes since 1991, is one of the longest tenured correspondents in the history of the program.
The segment examined violence directed at Palestinians by groups including Hilltop Youth, a group young Israeli settlers associated with establishing unauthorized outposts and conducting attacks. It showed Stahl accompanying a Palestinian family, including Hassan Faraj, as they attempted to reach property they said they held by deed for generations.
In the segment, settlers in dark clothing can be seen running down a hill and blocking access. The Palestinians then approached with their hands behind their backs, at which confrontations escalated to scuffles that included a headbutt that fractured a nose. Jewish activists from a group called Sons of Abraham positioned themselves as intermediaries before an IDF officer eventually arrived.
The report also addressed the use of sheep farms by settlers to expand control over land, Israeli government funding for such activities, and limited accountability for the violence. Faces of underage participants were obscured in compliance with Israeli law.
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According to Status, citing multiple people familiar with the matter, the segment initially appeared on track for a Sunday airdate after receiving relatively light notes. CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and Managing Editor Charles Forelle joined screenings late in the week, beginning Thursday.
Sources described Weiss as becoming “very, very hands-on.”
At one stage, Forelle suggested postponing the piece to allow more time for review. Stahl strongly objected, arguing that leadership present in the meeting should resolve the issues then so the report could still air Sunday. Screenings continued into Saturday and grew heated enough that some involved were uncertain whether the segment would broadcast.
Amid the tension, Stahl discussed the possibility of quitting with colleagues but did not convey a formal resignation threat to leadership, sources told Status.
When asked for comment, a representative for 60 Minutes told TheWrap that every piece undergoes a rigorous editorial process that includes edits from editors, and that this segment received far fewer edits than most. A source confirmed to The Wrap that the first screening occurred Thursday afternoon, compressing the usual timeline
The precise nature of any requested changes has not been publicly detailed.
The report comes amid major changes at CBS News following Weiss’s appointment as editor-in-chief in October 2025, after Paramount Skydance acquired her digital outlet The Free Press. Weiss, who previously worked as an opinion editor at The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, had no prior experience running a broadcast news operation.
Subsequent months saw staff reductions and the departures of several 60 Minutes personnel.
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