Did Lesley Stahl intend to withdraw from "60 Minutes" over Bari Weiss's edits to her segment on Israeli settlers? CBS News reports a "twisted and ridiculous narrative"

Bari Weiss, the media mogul David Ellison appointed as editor-in-chief of CBS News, has been a disruptive and controversial presence at the network since joining its board about a year ago. Now, according to a new report, Weiss's "interference" in a segment by veteran correspondent Lesley Stahl on Israeli settlers […]

Barry Weiss, David Ellison's media mogul who was named editor-in-chief of CBS News, has been a disruptive and controversial presence at the news outlet since joining the board about a year ago. Now, according to a new report, Weiss' "interference" in a segment by longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Leslie Stahl about Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, which aired last Sunday, drove Stahl to the "precipice of withdrawal."

In response, a CBS News spokesperson said in a statement: "This is a ridiculous and twisted narrative. All 60 Minutes segments go through a well-known editorial process — which includes edits by editors. This piece had much less editing than the others." A representative for Stahl did not respond to a request for comment.

"60 Minutes" described the episode, "Lost Sheep," which aired on Oct. 11 as follows: "In recent months, violence has escalated in the West Bank, where some militant settlers have sought to evict the Palestinians who live there. With the Israeli election just a few weeks away, 60 Minutes reports from the Hilltop area named Leslie. Violent attacks, Jewish activists trying to stop them, and Palestinians driven out. This segment was produced by Shachar Bar-On, who worked with Stahl on more than 80 reports, investigations and interviews for the program.

Given Wes Weber's "pro-Israel" stance, according to the Darcy Report, Ellison, who last week closed the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, Stahl's piece "surprised some observers."

The pre-air review process for "Lost Sheep" was initially "routine," according to Status' account. However, Weiss became "very, very pragmatic" and the situation eventually escalated into a "conflict" with Stahl that involved editor Charles Forel, according to the report: "The exact nature of [Weiss's] objections remains unclear, but I am told they were not limited to a specific factual claim or isolated element that played a role in his report. A very contentious editorial process." Status quoted an unnamed source as saying that until Sunday night's broadcast, the "60 Minutes" team "didn't know if [the segment] was going to air because the show was so hot." The report notes that "it's unclear what edits, if any, Weiss ultimately made or whether he was satisfied with the final product."