CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss has made her first public comments regarding the firing of Scott Pelley, the longtime 60 Minutes correspondent, describing the situation as an 'unfortunate outcome' and citing a breakdown in trust and mutual respect.
Weiss addresses staff on Pelley's dismissal
During a call with staff, Weiss stated, '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. That foundation was broken on Monday.' According to the New York Times, Weiss emphasized that she attempted to mediate a resolution with Pelley but was ultimately unsuccessful.
'Despite our attempts to engage with Scott Pelley and to find a way back, unfortunately we weren't able to do so, and so we had to part ways,' Weiss said. 'We did not want that to happen, but that's the path that he chose.'
Background of tension at CBS News
Weiss's tenure as editor-in-chief has been marked by controversy. In December, she pulled a segment that was to provide a behind-the-scenes look at a maximum-security prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration sent deportees without trial. More recently, Nick Bilton, a tech writer hired to run 60 Minutes, took charge after the network fired two reporters and four producers from the nearly 60-year-old program.
Pelley's outburst at staff meeting
At a staff meeting on Monday, Pelley publicly berated Bilton and Weiss. Bilton attempted to reassure employees that he would not drastically alter the show's format, saying, 'The rumours people are spreading, that I'm going to turn the show into 60 one-minute episodes, that it's going to be like TikTok, that is not changing.' However, Pelley launched into a tirade, questioning the direction of the new leadership.
'She's murdering 60 Minutes,' Pelley said of Weiss, according to recordings obtained by the New York Times and Washington Post. 'She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it, and she's been doing exactly that. She has no qualifications for her job; you have slender qualifications for this job. The changes that she's made at the Evening News have been catastrophic, so why should we expect that any of this is going to be any better?'
Bilton responded by saying he was 'excited to meet with everyone' and later fired Pelley on Tuesday evening after 'repeated attempts' to find common ground. 'I tried to find common ground,' Bilton said in an email to staff. 'That was not the path Scott chose.'
Pelley's response and allegations
After his dismissal, Pelley released a statement accusing new management of urging him 'to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story' and 'to include assertions that are unverified.' He claimed he 'managed to ignore these instructions or refuse them.' Pelley also alleged that CBS was allowing politicians to 'choose correspondents for interviews.'
'60 Minutes has been the No. 1 program in America for decades because our beloved audience finds integrity, quality and humanity in our stories,' Pelley said in a scathing rebuttal shared with media outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter. 'Now, the new owner of our network is casting this legend aside, apparently to curry a moment of favour with the Trump administration.'
Following Weiss's address to staff, Pelley issued a second statement denying her account, saying, 'Bari Weiss knows what she said is not true. In the meeting on Tuesday, in which I was effectively fired, there was no effort of any kind to 'find a way back,' as Weiss said in the editorial meeting. At no point did anyone in the Tuesday meeting suggest that there could be steps taken by either side that would lead to a resolution. To say so now is disingenuous.'
Impact on 60 Minutes and future direction
Pelley's dismissal follows the departure of Anderson Cooper, who left the series after 20 years last month. The program now relies on remaining correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, Jon Wertheim, and contributor Norah O'Donnell. Weiss stated that Bilton will move forward with 'the amazing team that's still there and hopefully with some new people that are going to be joining us.'
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump criticized Pelley, calling him 'a stiff' and 'part of this gang of crooked, stupid people that don't care about our country' during an appearance on Pod Force One with Miranda Devine.
