CBS News has terminated Scott Pelley, a veteran correspondent at 60 Minutes, following a heated confrontation with network leadership over recent staff cuts at the storied program. The firing marks a dramatic moment in ongoing tensions between the show's journalists and CBS News management under editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
The conflict erupted after CBS News fired the show's executive producer, executive editor, and two correspondents, Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi, without explaining the reasons for their terminations. During a Monday morning staff meeting with newly appointed executive editor Nick Bilton and other executives, Pelley strongly objected to the changes and directly criticized Weiss's leadership. According to sources, Pelley said that Weiss was "murdering 60 Minutes" and had been "brought in to kill it."
Following the meeting, Weiss and other executives met with Pelley on Tuesday to address his conduct. That evening, Bilton sent Pelley a termination message stating he had been "terminated for cause effective immediately." In the message, Bilton cited Pelley's behavior during the staff meeting, saying Pelley had "hijacked" the meeting "to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt."
Pelley subsequently issued a public statement accusing CBS News executives of silencing employees and instructing him to "inject falsehoods and bias" into his reporting. He emphasized that 60 Minutes had maintained its position as the top program in its category because audiences value "integrity, quality, and humanity" in its stories.
The termination has left 60 Minutes with significant staffing challenges. The program now has only three full-time correspondents heading into its 59th season: Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and L Jon Wertheim. This follows Anderson Cooper's earlier announcement that he would be leaving the show.
The firings have prompted concern among staff members about editorial independence and the future direction of the news division. Former 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft characterized the changes as "disastrous" and called them "journalistic interference," noting that the program remains the highest rated show in its time slot, which he said makes the management decisions senseless from a business perspective.
Pelley's colleagues have acknowledged his contributions to the network. He joined CBS News in 1989 and served as chief White House correspondent and anchor of the CBS Evening News from 2011 to 2017 before joining 60 Minutes as a correspondent in 1999. His departure reflects broader tensions within media organizations as they balance traditional journalism practices with pressure from various stakeholders.