The correspondent signed off for good after 20 years, nearly crying as he said “I’m Anderson Cooper” for the final time in a “60 Minutes Overtime” segment on YouTube.
But he also expressed hope that the venerable news show would uphold its “independence” ― which has been seriously disputed as CBS News leans right under Weiss.
“I hope ‘60 Minutes’ remains ‘60 Minutes,’” Cooper said. “There’s very few things that have been around for as long as ‘60 Minutes’ has, and maintain the quality that it has. … I think the independence of ‘60 Minutes’ has been critical. The trust it has with viewers is critical to the success of ‘60 Minutes.’”
Top producer Bill Owens reportedly departed due to interference, and correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi vented after Weiss pulled a segment on a notorious prison where migrants were sent by the Trump administration. (It later aired.)
“In my view, it was the result of a more aggressive contagion: the spread of corporate meddling and editorial fear. It’s hard to watch,” Alfonsi said.
HuffPost reached out to Weiss and CBS News for comment.
