CBS News fires ’60 Minutes’ veteran Scott Pelley
“60 Minutes” veteran Scott Pelley’s departure comes after CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss allegedly accused him of “murdering” the news organization.
Scott Pelley compares his exit from “60 Minutes” to the death of a spouse.
The 68-year-old journalist had an emotional conversation on the New York Times podcast “The Interview,” which aired on Sunday, June 7, days after he was fired from the CBS show after a run-in with executives.
Perry, who choked up several times during an hour-long podcast conversation, said he was blindsided by the decision to fire him.
“The best way I can imagine to describe it is like your spouse was murdered,” he said. “There are times during the day when I feel great. To be honest, there are moments when I crumble when I least expect it.”
Perry told “60 Minutes” he doesn’t feel “apologetic,” but added that he cares about “the people I left behind” and “this institution that I love so much.”
Perry was fired from 60 Minutes for the first time in more than 20 years after a heated staff meeting in which he criticized CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss and new 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton.
In a recording obtained by The New York Times, Mr. Perry accused Mr. Weiss of “murdering” 60 Minutes and said Mr. Bilton was “poorly qualified” to serve in a meeting that followed mass layoffs of 60 Minutes executives.
In his termination letter, Bilton accused Perry of “misconduct,” saying he “hijacked my first meeting with staff and belittled me, my qualifications, and my intentions in a manner that was extremely disrespectful and disrespectful.” It added that this “staged display of hostility took place in front of staff rather than in a civil, private conversation and demonstrated a lack of interest in contributing to the future success of the program.”
Perry accused Bilton of “insensitivity” and “tone deafness” on “The Interview” when he read a statement from his cell phone to “heartbroken” employees at a meeting, saying “someone had to stand up” for them. But even after speaking out, Perry said he never expected to be fired. “That never occurred to me,” he said.
Perry argued that Weiss should lose his job, citing an editorial note Weiss contributed to a story about Immigration and Customs Enforcement protests in Minneapolis this year, and accused Weiss of “putting his thumb on the scale on behalf of President Donald Trump.”
In a statement shared with USA TODAY, CBS said Weiss’ memo was “not politically motivated and was suggested solely to make the story as strong, fair and accurate as possible.”
“We need adult supervision, and we don’t have that at the moment,” Perry told the Times. “The people who are in these jobs, through no fault of their own, have no TV experience. It’s not their fault, but they don’t know what they’re doing. There’s a subtle political bias that I’ve never seen before. So that’s my hope. We can save this. We can land this plane. But now CBS News is on the air. ”
In an Instagram post on June 6, Perry thanked fans for their support while sharing a photo of herself on a boat. “To all of you who have been so kind to me, you are the wind in my sails. Thank you so much,” he wrote.
Contributors: Taijuan Moorman and Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY.
