Topline
Former “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley accused CBS News’ editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of “lying” to staff during a conference call, claiming Weiss and the network’s president and executive editor Tom Cibrowski were “openly hostile from the start” and brought up the prospect of firing him “in the first 15 seconds” of a meeting they held Tuesday.
Scott Pelley attends the CBS Fall Schedule Celebration at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California.
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Key Facts
In comments during a Wednesday conference call first reported by The Guardian, Weiss said her staff tried to “engage with Scott Pelley and to find a way back,” but ultimately was unable to find common ground—a statement Pelley called “disingenuous” in his own response sent to members of the media later the same day.
“We did not want that to happen, but that’s the path that he chose,” Weiss said, before praising Pelley for his work on “unforgettable stories,” naming a recent report on Havana Syndrome and an interview with former Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., who is suffering from metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Cibrowski also spoke on the call, lauding the journalist as “an integral part” of the network and acknowledged the ongoing changes were “a lot to process.”
Pelley said he met with Weiss, Cibrowski and incoming “60 Minutes” executive producer Nick Bilton after a tense meeting on Tuesday, but they refused to answer his questions about recent firings of longtime “60 Minutes” staff members and “stonewalled for about 10 minutes.”
Pelley was fired Tuesday and had reportedly clashed with Bilton during an explosive staff meeting earlier this week, saying he has “slender” qualifications for the job and confronted him about the firing of some longtime “60 Minutes” producers.
In a letter obtained by the New York Times and other outlets, Bilton said Pelley was “terminated for cause effective immediately,” claiming the former correspondent “hijacked” his first staff meeting.
Crucial Quote
“I know I speak for myself, and I hope I speak for everyone here when I say that I’m only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect. We cannot do our work without it,” Weiss said on the editorial conference call on Wednesday morning, adding the “foundation” was broken at a staff meeting on Monday. In his response, Pelley said the CBS News staff was “misled” on the Wednesday call. “These executives cannot gain the trust of the staff with lies. This is antithetical to everything we stand for and reveals contempt for what journalists do.”
What Do We Know About The Fiery Staff Meeting?
At a staff meeting on Monday, Pelley reportedly confronted Bilton about the firings of the show’s long-time producers and fellow correspondents. When Bilton suggested that Weiss “loves this institution,” Pelley reportedly shot back, “She is murdering ‘60 Minutes.’” Pelley then proceeded to call out Weiss, who was not at the meeting and said she “doesn’t love this place” and alleged that she was brought in by the network’s new owner, David Ellison, to “kill” the news division, “and she’s been doing exactly that.” In a memo sent to “60 Minutes” staffers, Bilton claimed he made “repeated attempts” to have direct talks with the senior correspondent over the weekend to “find common ground” but was allegedly rebuffed.
What Has Pelley Said About His Firing?
In a statement shared with media outlets, Pelley said: “‘60’ has been the number-one program in America for decades because our beloved audience finds integrity, quality, and humanity in our stories.” The journalist and former anchor then accused CBS’ new owners of “casting this legend aside, apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration. The waste is heartbreaking.” Pelley said 60 Minutes has lost its DNA with the recent firing of its leadership and “two of our best on-air correspondents…without cause.” Pelley also accused the new management of instructing him to “inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story,” which he says he ignored.
Tangent
Pelley’s firing adds to the recent exodus of senior staffers from “60 Minutes” which has become the subject of a major overhaul by Weiss. The CBS News editor in chief has said she wants to remake the show so that it “thrives in the 21st century.” This is despite the weekly show being a ratings hit—with the most recent episode garnering 5.9 million live viewers and consistently being the most-watched non-sports program in the country. In contrast, “CBS Evening News,” which Weiss overhauled last year with a new handpicked anchor, Tony Dokoupil, has struggled with its ratings. Recent ousters include two other ‘60 Minutes’ correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega, former executive producer Tanya Simon, executive editor Draggan Mihailovich and others.
Key Background
Pelley’s firing follows a series of other controversies impacting CBS News since David Ellison’s acquisition of the network’s parent, Paramount, last year. Ellison also acquired Weiss’ online publication “The Free Press” and brought her on board as the editor in chief of CBS’s news division. Since taking over, Weiss has enacted many sweeping changes at CBS News, many of which have been controversial. One of the biggest controversies of her tenure occurred last year after she directed the network to pull a segment of “60 Minutes” just before it was set to air. The segment was focused on highlighting the harsh conditions faced by migrants deported from the U.S. by the Trump administration and sent to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. Weiss reportedly sought additions to the story including interview with Trump administration officials and later told the New York Times that it was lacking “sufficient context” and “missing critical voices.” Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, who worked on the story, sent an internal note to ‘60 Minutes’ staffers saying, “In my view, pulling it now—after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.”
Further Reading
CBS News Fires Scott Pelley of ‘60 Minutes’ (New York Times)
‘60 Minutes’ Correspondent Scott Pelley Fired by CBS News (Wall Street Journal)
CBS News’ Scott Pelley Accuses Boss Bari Weiss Of ‘Murdering’ ‘60 Minutes’ (Forbes)
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