CBS News has terminated “60 Minutes” veteran Scott Pelley after the journalist and executives felt they could not find a way to work together following a heated public argument Monday between Pelley and Nick Bilton, the former tech journalist installed last week by editorial chief Bari Weiss.
Pelley is the fourth “60 Minutes” reporter to leave the venerable newsmagazine since February, leaving just a trio — Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker and Jon Wertheim — to handle assignments as the show prepares to get stories ready for its 59th season in the fall.
“Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear,” Bilton said in a letter sent to Pelley Tuesday evening and reviewed by Variety. “And I have heard you. I therefore write on behalf of CBS News to inform you that your employment with CBS is terminated effective immediately.”
Pelley could not be reached for immediate comment.
Pelley had lambasted both Bilton and Weiss, questioning their qualifications to manage a program like “60 Minutes,” which is one of the most respected and most watched news programs in the U.S. And he accused Weiss of “murdering ’60 Minutes.’”
Weiss had indicated last week that she wanted the program “to reach new heights through deep, revelatory journalism that breaks news, exposes wrongdoing, widens public understanding and forces accountability from every institution and every center of power.” Increasingly, however, it is unclear who will be left to accomplish the mission.
CBS News ousted a good chunk of the program’s senior managers last week, including former executive producer Tanya Simon; executive editor Draggan Mihailovich; and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Anderson Cooper, who has contributed to the show for nearly 20 years, announced his exit in February.
In a memo to staff issued Tuesday evening, Bilton tried to assuage staffers. “I know how much Scott meant to 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.”
