Topline
Veteran “60 Minutes” correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim vowed to “stay and fight” at the news program that has undergone significant upheaval under CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, saying in a joint memo Friday they “don’t want to see ‘60 Minutes’ die.”
Lesley Stahl and colleagues vowed to “stay and fight” at the embattled “60 Minutes.” (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images)
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Key Facts
In their memo, Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim said they had a “hard time” deciding whether to stay, criticizing the recent firings of “60 Minutes” journalists and producers under Weiss’ leadership, alleging they were terminated because they “stood up” for the program’s “independence and integrity.”
The correspondents said their returning is not an endorsement of the current power structure at CBS and “60 Minutes,” whom they criticized for damaging the reputation of the news program.
“Newsrooms are not supposed to be run like dictatorships,” the memo says, decrying the “indecency” with which the terminated “60 Minutes” staff were treated.
The memo says the correspondents are working to build “trust” with newly appointed executive producer, Nick Bilton, who in a memo on Thursday said he has had conversations with Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim, calling them “core to this show’s success.”
Tensions boiled over at the news program earlier this week when longtime correspondent Scott Pelley was ousted following a heated staff meeting in which Pelley said Weiss is “murdering ‘60 Minutes.’”
Stahl is the longest-serving remaining correspondent at “60 Minutes,” having worked at the news show since 1991, while Whitaker and Wertheim joined the program in 2014 and 2017, respectively.
Why Did Stahl And Colleagues Decide To Stay?
Speculation over the futures of Stahl, Whitaker and Wertheim mounted this week after numerous high-profile departures threw the future of “60 Minutes” into turmoil. Elsewhere in their Friday memo, the correspondents reaffirmed their commitment to “the audience, the millions who watch us with a loyal but critical eye,” adding the thought of “abandoning” their teams at “60 Minutes” was “unbearable.” They said they heard “all the right things” in a memo Bilton sent to staff on Thursday, urging him to put his commitment to journalistic independence into action. Bilton, in his memo, said the news program would “never be instructed by the ownership” of CBS News on its stories. Stahl, in an interview with The New York Times on Friday afternoon, said the trio of correspondents had decided days earlier to make their decision about their future at the program as a unit, saying additional departures would harm the show.
why did tensions mount at “60 minutes”?
Earlier this week, longtime correspondent Scott Pelley was fired after a heated staff meeting on Monday, in which Pelley accused Bilton of having “slender” qualifications to produce the news program, further alleging Weiss was hired to “kill” the show. During the Monday meeting, Pelley confronted “60 Minutes” leadership about why multiple producers and journalists were fired last week. Bilton responded that Weiss “loves this institution,” to which Pelley reportedly said, “She is murdering ‘60 Minutes.’” Pelley reportedly met with Weiss, Bilton and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski on Tuesday, later accusing them of stonewalling and refusing to answer his questions. Pelley’s firing was announced Tuesday night. In a meeting with the CBS newsroom after his firing, Weiss said she did not want them to part ways, but said “that’s the path that he chose.” Pelley accused CBS News of being openly hostile and “disingenuous,” saying they did not propose a path forward when he met with them Tuesday.
key background
The turmoil at “60 Minutes” follows a broader overhaul at CBS News under Weiss, who was appointed late last year to lead the news network under the newly merged, David Ellison-led Paramount Skydance. Weiss, who has no background in broadcast news, has made sweeping changes, including rounds of layoffs and appointing Tony Dokoupil to lead “CBS Evening News,” which has caused ratings to slide. She controversially delayed a 60 Minutes” report on Venezuelan migrants detained at El Salvador’s CECOT prison that was critical of the Trump administration, which journalist Sharyn Alfonsi, who was fired last week, alleged was politically motivated.
surprising fact
CBS denied rumors on Thursday that Joe Rogan, who hosts the country’s most popular podcast, was under consideration to join “60 Minutes.” CBS News spokesperson Jeremy Adler told Forbes the rumor is “false.” The claim appeared to originate from an anonymously sourced article in gossip outlet Radar Online.
further reading
Scott Pelley Calls Bari Weiss ‘Disingenuous’ After She Defended Firing ‘60 Minutes’ Journalist (Forbes)
CBS Denies Rumors Joe Rogan Under Consideration For ‘60 Minutes’ Role (Forbes)
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