Longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley is lashing out after he was fired by CBS following a clash with executive producer Nick Bilton. The 68-year-old journalist accused the network's new management of casting aside the legacy of the iconic news program to curry favor with the Trump administration.
Pelley's Statement
In a statement shared with multiple media outlets, Pelley said: "60 has been the No. 1 program in America for decades because our beloved audience finds integrity, quality and humanity in our stories." He added that the new owner of CBS is casting this legend aside, apparently to gain a moment of favor with the Trump administration.
Pelley alleged that new management urged 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. The Emmy-winning journalist also accused CBS of allowing politicians to choose correspondents for interviews.
"Incompetence and unprofessionalism in the new management have wreaked havoc," he continued. "In a case involving one of my stories, the entire program came within 19 minutes of not getting on the air at all."
Background of Tensions
CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss' tenure overseeing CBS has been fraught with tension. In December, she pulled a segment that promised to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the maximum-security prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration sent deportees without trial. Last year, the network canceled The Late Show after host Stephen Colbert described the broadcaster's US$16-million settlement with Trump over a deceptively edited 60 Minutes interview as a "big, fat bribe."
Pelley Questions Bilton's Qualifications
Prior to his ouster, the New York Times and Washington Post obtained a recording from earlier this week in which Pelley questioned Bilton's qualifications to lead the nearly 60-year-old program and accused Weiss of trying to kill off the Sunday night news staple. Bilton, a former technology journalist, took charge last month after the network fired two correspondents and four producers.
At a meeting, Bilton tried to allay fears that he would turn 60 Minutes into a format to appeal to social media users. "For me, the journalism is the journalism," Bilton said. He assured staffers that the show was going to stay exactly like it is for now. However, he warned that broadcast television is facing catastrophic changes as consumer tastes shift, calling it "an ice cube that is melting."
Pelley's Outburst
Pelley launched into an outburst, questioning the direction Bilton and Weiss want the company to follow. "She's murdering 60 Minutes," Pelley said of Weiss. "She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it, and she's been doing exactly that." Bilton tried to defend himself, but shortly after the meeting, he sent Pelley packing.
In an email to staff, 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." In a letter to Pelley, Bilton stated that he had been terminated for cause, citing that Pelley hijacked his first meeting with staff to disparage him with remarkable incivility and contempt.
Pelley's dismissal follows the departure of Anderson Cooper, who left the series after 20 years last month. Cooper said: "Things can always evolve and change, and I think that's awesome, and things should evolve and change, but I hope the core of what 60 Minutes is always remains."
