Bari Weiss Defends Firing Scott Pelley From ’60 Minutes’

Bari Weiss, the editor in chief of CBS News, addressed the termination of Scott Pelley on a staff call. Pelley, a long-standing figure at CBS, was removed from “60 Minutes” on Tuesday following a contentious exchange with the newsmagazine’s new executive producer.

The potential for unrest looms over “60 Minutes” after significant changes, including the appointment of Nick Bilton, a former tech journalist, as the executive producer, and the departure of seasoned staff like former EP Tanya Simon. CBS News dismissed Pelley late Tuesday after his heated discussion with Bilton at a meeting the previous day.

Weiss addressed the situation at the start of a Wednesday morning conference call with CBS News staff. Variety confirmed her comments made during the meeting.

“Before we get into it, I need to address what’s transpired in our newsroom over the past two days and what is making news,” she 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.”

Weiss continued: “We cannot do our work without it. That foundation was broken on Monday, and 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. We did not want that to happen, but that’s the path that he chose.”

Weiss added that this “unfortunate outcome does not discount from the amazing contributions and work that Scott Pelley has done for CBS and for ’60 Minutes’ over the course of his career.”

She highlighted some of Pelley’s notable stories from the past season, including coverage of the “Havana Syndrome” and an “incredible” interview with Ben Sasse, the former Nebraska senator diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Weiss expressed that such stories are the type Nick Bilton aims to broadcast in the upcoming Season 59 with the current team and new contributors.

Tom Cibrowski, president and executive editor of CBS News, also commented on the situation Wednesday, aligning with Weiss’ sentiments. “Scott was an integral part of ’60 Minutes,’ ‘CBS Evening News,’ this entire news organization for decades,” Cibrowski said, adding that Pelley’s “incredible body of work” will “always be part of the history of CBS News, and you will miss Scott very much.”

Cibrowski acknowledged the challenges these changes present, stating, “we know that these events, developments, changes, are a lot to process for every single person in this room and on this call. And they are happening frequently. And we know that’s a lot to ask you all to come to work every day with your head held high to do the job that we ask you to do. All we can say is that we are taking this very seriously, and we are here to support you, and that means we’re not gonna do it on this public call, but if you want to talk to us, please, please. We will check in with as many of you as possible, but please call us. Please email us and we will have conversations throughout this time.”

In a letter to Pelley, Bilton communicated his dismissal, stating, “Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear. 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 responded defiantly in a statement issued late Tuesday concerning his dismissal from “60 Minutes.”

“Last month, ’60 Minutes’ lost its DNA when our entire senior leadership and two of our best on-air correspondents were cruelly fired without cause,” Pelley claimed. On May 28, CBS News removed Simon along with “60 Minutes” executive editor Draggan Mihailovich and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.

“Good people were silenced because they stood up for our audience,” Pelley asserted in his statement. “They stood for fairness against the forces of political bias; they stood for professionalism against chaos.”

Pelley criticized Weiss’ leadership at CBS News, alleging that “incompetence and unprofessionalism in the new management have wreaked havoc.” He recounted an incident where one of his stories for “60 Minutes” almost failed to air, with just 19 minutes to spare.

Pelley claimed that “new management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story. I’ve been told to include assertions that are unverified. To date, in every case, I have managed to ignore these instructions or refuse them. Recently, politicians have been invited to choose correspondents for interviews on the broadcast. Giving politicians control over 60 Minutes interviews is not how this is done.”