Scott Pelley and CBS staff have private meeting on ’60 Minutes’
Anchor Scott Perry publicly challenged CBS News leadership during a staff meeting, according to a recording obtained by The New York Times.
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Scott Pelley is the latest “60 Minutes” veteran to have his time on the CBS show permanently suspended.
CBS News has fired the 68-year-old 60 Minutes correspondent after more than 20 years, leaving Perry without immediate severance or other benefits, according to USA TODAY.
Anchor’s exit came after a heated staff meeting in which Perry accused CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the news organization, according to a recording obtained by The New York Times and reported on June 1.
In a termination letter obtained by USA TODAY, newly hired 60 Minutes executive Nick Bilton told Perry that he hoped they could work out a “path forward together” in the wake of the “misconduct,” but that “you have made it clear that you are not interested in such a path.”
“I am extremely disappointed that you rejected that offer and instead chose to ambush me.Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with my staff and disrespected me, my qualifications, and my intentions with astonishing disrespect and disrespect,” Bilton told Perry in the memo. “Yesterday’s staged display of hostility, which took place in front of your staff rather than in an internal, private conversation, demonstrated that you have no interest in contributing to the future success of the program.”
Bilton said he tolerates “diverse perspectives and respectful discussion” within his team, but will not tolerate “manifestations of hostility.” He said Perry’s “antipathy” for the show’s future was clear, adding: “And I hear your thoughts.”
“I’m here to provide top-notch news programming, not make headlines about newsroom drama, and I want to work with people who share this goal,” Bilton added.
USA TODAY has reached out to CBS for comment.
Perry said Bilton’s qualifications were “iffy” amid the leadership change.
In an exchange reported on June 1, Perry, who has worked for CBS News for nearly 40 years, criticized Bilton, citing leaked audio, the digital news outlet and newsletter Status reported. The meeting was aimed at introducing Mr. Bilton, a former Times technology columnist and investigative journalist who was hired to lead “60 Minutes” in late May.
Mr. Perry called Mr. Bilton’s qualifications “frivolous” and questioned Weiss’s commitment to making “60 Minutes” prosperous in a June 1 exchange, the Times reported.
Before joining the news program, Bilton worked as an investigative journalist at Vanity Fair. Outside of print journalism, I also write and produce documentaries. Starring on “60 Minutes” is his first time working in broadcast journalism.
According to the Times and Status, Mr. Perry was reportedly angered by Mr. Bilton’s remark to staff that Mr. Weiss “loves this facility.” Perry interjected, “She doesn’t love this place. She was brought here to kill this place, and that’s exactly what she’s doing.”
He also questioned Bilton about the recent mass layoffs at the station, which occurred on May 28 and have been dubbed “Black Thursday” by the news industry. Those fired reportedly include senior 60 Minutes leaders such as executive producer Tanya Simon, executive editor Dragan Mihailovic, and correspondents Sharin Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. In a public statement, Alfonsi and Vega said the firings were politically motivated.
“60 Minutes” staff said Bilton and Perry “couldn’t find common ground”
In a memo in which 60 Minutes staff were informed of Perry’s firing, Bilton wrote, “I know how much Scott meant to so many of you, and I don’t say this lightly. I made multiple attempts over the weekend to have a direct conversation with him and this afternoon we tried to find common ground. That was not the path Scott would have chosen.”
“Our biggest regret is that this situation has precluded the conversations we were hoping to have with you about Season 59 and the future of this show. We recognize this is a big change in a very short period of time, but we won’t pretend otherwise,” the memo said.
Bilton continued: “I’m not here to rehash last week with you. My promise is this: I will steadfastly support each of you, the journalism you do, and what we do together in the future.”
Contributor: Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
