'60 Minutes' correspondent Scott Pelley fired after criticizing CBS execs – USA Today

Scott Pelley is the latest “60 Minutes” veteran to have his airtime on the CBS show halted permanently.
CBS News has terminated the correspondent, 68, after more than two decades at “60 Minutes,” USA TODAY has learned, leaving Pelley without severance or other benefits effective immediately.
The anchor’s exit comes after a heated staff meeting, in which Pelley accused CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the news institution, according to a recording obtained by The New York Times and reported June 1.
In a termination note obtained by USA TODAY, newly hired “60 Minutes” executive Nick Bilton told Pelley that he was hoping they could pave a “path forward together” following the “misconduct” but said, “You made it clear that you are not interested in such a path.”
“It is a profound disappointment that you rejected that overture and chose ambush instead. Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt,” Bilton told Pelley in a note. “Yesterday’s performative display of hostility — enacted in front of the staff instead of in a civil, private conversation — demonstrated that you have no interest in contributing to the future success of the show.”
While Bilton said he is open to a “diversity of viewpoints and respectful debates” among the team, he will not tolerate any “performative displays of hostility.” He said Pelley’s “antipathy” toward the show’s future is loud and clear, adding, “And I have heard you.”
“I am here to deliver first-in-class news programming, not to make headlines about newsroom drama. I am eager to work alongside those who share this goal,” Bilton added.
USA TODAY has reached out to CBS for comment.
During the reported exchange June 1, Pelley, who has worked at CBS News for nearly 40 years, slammed Bilton, digital news outlet and newsletter Status reported, citing the leaked audio. The meeting was meant to introduce Bilton, a former Times technology columnist and investigative journalist, who was hired to lead “60 Minutes” in late May.
Pelley called Bilton’s qualifications “slender” and questioned Weiss’ commitment to the prosperity of “60 Minutes,” during the June 1 exchange, the Times reported.
Before joining the news program, Bilton was an investigative journalist with work at Vanity Fair. Outside of print journalism, he has written and produced documentaries. Leading “60 Minutes” is his first time working in broadcast journalism.
Pelley was reportedly set off by a remark in which Bilton told staffers that Weiss “loves this institution,” according to the Times and Status. Pelley interjected, saying, “She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it, and she’s doing exactly that.”
He also interrogated Bilton about recent mass firings at the network – which took place May 28 and have been dubbed by the news industry as “Black Thursday.” Those let go reportedly include longtime “60 Minutes” senior leaders like executive producer Tanya Simon, executive editor Draggan Mihailovich and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. In public statements, Alfonsi and Vega said their firings were politically motivated.
“60 Minutes” staff were informed of Pelley’s termination in a note where Bilton wrote, “I know how much Scott meant to many of you, and I don’t say this lightly. I made repeated attempts to have direct conversations with him over the weekend, and this afternoon I tried to find common ground. That was not the path Scott chose.”
“What I regret most is that this situation interfered with the conversation I had hoped to have with you about Season 59 and the future of this show. I realize this is a great deal of change in a very short time, and I wouldn’t pretend otherwise,” the note read.
Bilton continued: “I won’t relitigate the last week with you here. What I will commit to is this: My unyielding support for each of you, the journalism that you do and what we will do together going forward.”
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY

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